Yuzu Matcha Swirl Babka
Babka gets its drama from the twist, not from anything complicated in the mixing bowl. This version fills a rich, buttery enriched dough with a sweet matcha-white chocolate paste, then finishes the baked loaf with a bright yuzu syrup and glaze – a loaf that looks like a bakery centerpiece but only asks for pantry technique, no starter required.
Why You’ll Love It
- The twist looks dramatic but is genuinely simple once you’ve rolled and filled the dough
- Earthy matcha and sweet white chocolate balanced by a bright, floral yuzu syrup and glaze
- The shaping happens the night before, so Day 2 is just a rise and a bake
- No sourdough starter or discard – just yeast and a little patience
- A showstopper loaf for brunch, gifting, or a holiday table
Ingredients
Volume measurements are included for convenience, but weighing your flour on a kitchen scale will give you the most consistent dough.
Dough
- Bread flour (420 g / 3⅓ cups)
- Granulated sugar (50 g / ¼ cup)
- Instant yeast (7 g / 2¼ tsp)
- Whole milk, warmed (180 g / ¾ cup)
- 2 large eggs
- Unsalted butter, softened (85 g / 6 Tbsp)
- Fine sea salt (6 g / 1 tsp)
Matcha Filling
- Unsalted butter, softened (57 g / 4 Tbsp)
- Granulated sugar (67 g / ⅓ cup)
- Culinary-grade matcha powder (15 g / 2 Tbsp)
- White chocolate, finely chopped (85 g / ½ cup)
Yuzu Syrup & Glaze
- Granulated sugar (100 g / ½ cup)
- Water (120 g / ½ cup)
- Yuzu juice (30 g / 2 Tbsp), plus more for the glaze: bottled yuzu juice works well; in a pinch, use 2 parts lemon juice to 1 part orange juice
- Powdered sugar (90 g / ¾ cup), for the glaze
Equipment
- Kitchen scale: for weighing ingredients – the most reliable way to get consistent results
- Stand mixer with dough hook: kneads the enriched dough to a smooth, elastic texture
- Rolling pin: for rolling out the dough before filling and twisting
- 9×5-inch loaf pan: shapes the classic babka loaf
- Bench scraper: for cutting and twisting the filled dough
- Pastry brush: for brushing on the yuzu syrup
Sample Schedule (2-Day)
Day 1
- Mix and knead the dough (25 minutes)
- First rise (1-1½ hours)
- Make the filling, roll, fill, and twist the loaf
- Place in the pan, cover, and refrigerate overnight
Day 2
- Let the loaf rise at room temperature (1-1½ hours)
- Bake (35-40 minutes)
- Brush with yuzu syrup while warm
- Cool, then drizzle with yuzu glaze
Yuzu Matcha Swirl Babka
Method
- Bloom the yeast. In a stand mixer bowl, whisk the warm milk (180 g / ¾ cup), sugar (50 g / ¼ cup), and instant yeast (7 g / 2¼ tsp). Let sit 5 minutes until foamy.
- Mix the dough. Add the eggs and salt (6 g / 1 tsp). Add the bread flour (420 g / 3⅓ cups) and mix on low with the dough hook until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead in the butter. Knead on medium 5 minutes, then add the softened butter (85 g / 6 Tbsp) a piece at a time, kneading until fully absorbed and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8–10 more minutes.
- First rise. Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot 1–1½ hours, until doubled.
- Make the filling. Beat the softened butter (57 g / 4 Tbsp), sugar (67 g / ⅓ cup), and matcha powder (15 g / 2 Tbsp) into a smooth paste.
- Roll and fill. Roll the dough into a 16×10-inch rectangle. Spread the matcha filling to the edges and scatter the chopped white chocolate (85 g / ½ cup) evenly over the top.
- Roll and twist. Starting from a long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Slice the log in half lengthwise, exposing the swirled layers, then twist the two halves around each other, keeping the cut sides facing up as much as possible.
- Shape and refrigerate. Tuck the twisted dough into a buttered 9×5-inch loaf pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight, 8–12 hours.
- The next day, let it rise. Remove the pan from the fridge and let sit at room temperature 1–1½ hours, until puffy.
- Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake 35–40 minutes, tenting loosely with foil after 20 minutes if the top is browning too fast.
- Make the syrup. While the babka bakes, simmer the sugar (100 g / ½ cup), water (120 g / ½ cup), and yuzu juice (30 g / 2 Tbsp) in a small saucepan 3–4 minutes, until slightly syrupy.
- Glaze and finish. Brush the warm babka generously with the yuzu syrup as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let cool completely, then whisk the powdered sugar (90 g / ¾ cup) with a tablespoon or two of yuzu juice and drizzle over the top.
Notes
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How to Make It
1Bloom the yeast. In a stand mixer bowl, whisk the warm milk (180 g / ¾ cup), sugar (50 g / ¼ cup), and instant yeast (7 g / 2¼ tsp). Let sit 5 minutes until foamy.
2Mix the dough. Add the eggs and salt (6 g / 1 tsp). Add the bread flour (420 g / 3⅓ cups) and mix on low with the dough hook until a shaggy dough forms.
3Knead in the butter. Knead on medium 5 minutes, then add the softened butter (85 g / 6 Tbsp) a piece at a time, kneading until fully absorbed and the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8-10 more minutes.
4First rise. Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot 1-1½ hours, until doubled.
5Make the filling. Beat the softened butter (57 g / 4 Tbsp), sugar (67 g / ⅓ cup), and matcha powder (15 g / 2 Tbsp) into a smooth paste.
6Roll and fill. Roll the dough into a 16×10-inch rectangle. Spread the matcha filling to the edges and scatter the chopped white chocolate (85 g / ½ cup) evenly over the top.
7Roll and twist. Starting from a long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Slice the log in half lengthwise, exposing the swirled layers, then twist the two halves around each other, keeping the cut sides facing up as much as possible.
8Shape and refrigerate. Tuck the twisted dough into a buttered 9×5-inch loaf pan, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight, 8-12 hours.
9The next day, let it rise. Remove the pan from the fridge and let sit at room temperature 1-1½ hours, until puffy.
10Bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake 35-40 minutes, tenting loosely with foil after 20 minutes if the top is browning too fast.
11Make the syrup. While the babka bakes, simmer the sugar (100 g / ½ cup), water (120 g / ½ cup), and yuzu juice (30 g / 2 Tbsp) in a small saucepan 3-4 minutes, until slightly syrupy.
12Glaze and finish. Brush the warm babka generously with the yuzu syrup as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let cool completely, then whisk the powdered sugar (90 g / ¾ cup) with a tablespoon or two of yuzu juice and drizzle over the top.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- Filling leaking out while twisting: chill the rolled, filled log in the freezer for 10 minutes before slicing and twisting – it firms the butter and makes the dough much easier to handle.
- Babka browning too dark before it’s done: tent loosely with foil about halfway through baking.
- Dough tears while twisting: just pinch it back together and keep going – the swirl still looks dramatic once baked, small tears disappear.
- Can’t find yuzu juice: bottled yuzu juice is available online and at most Asian grocers; in a pinch, 2 parts lemon juice to 1 part orange juice gets close to the same bright, floral tartness.
How to Store
To store: keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
To freeze: freeze the cooled loaf whole or sliced, wrapped tightly, up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Nutrition
Per slice, based on 10 slices. Estimated from the ingredients used – provided for convenience and not a substitute for a precise calculation.
310
Calories
38
Carbs
6
Protein
15
Fat
1
Fiber
180
Sodium
Desi’s Notes
Use a culinary-grade matcha here, not a cheap ceremonial-adjacent tin from the back of a pantry – the flavor comes through directly in the filling, and a low-quality matcha will taste flat and slightly bitter instead of grassy and rich.
The yuzu is what keeps this loaf from tasting like a plain sweet bread with green filling. It cuts right through the white chocolate’s sweetness.
This is the loaf I make when I want something that still feels like an event, but doesn’t ask for a starter or a multi-day process – just one overnight rest.
Before You Bake
Want a printable reference for weighing ingredients or converting between cups and grams? Grab the Conversion & Baker’s-Percentage Cheat Sheet, one of six free Printable Quicksheets on the site.
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