Babka is a popular Polish Easter Bread. It’s an easy no-knead bread to make and there are so many variations to make it. Our Cheese Babka recipe is bright and flavorful with lemon zest and sweetened cream cheese and a moist crumb that will make you swoon.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe
No knead.
Flexible. I’m showing two different ways to make our cheese babka bread recipe. You can bake it in a bundt pan, or make a freeform loaf. Both end up gorgeous, lofty and delicious!
Versatile. Add fillings or glazes. This recipe can be changed up in so many different ways.
Equipment Needed
Baking Pan. Depending on the shape desired, I used a bundt pan but it can be baked on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or in a loaf pan.

Ingredients for Cheese Babka Dough
- Active Dry Yeast. Check the expiration date and purchase new before the holiday if needed. It can be hard to find yeast if you wait to close to certain holidays so plan in advance. You will usually find it near the flour at your local super market.
- Warm Water. 110ºF is the perfect temperature for proofing yeast.
- Unsalted Butter. If you only have salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe.
- White Granulated Sugar. You will use a small amount to proof the yeast and then a larger amount when you mix the bread.
- Salt.
- Vanilla Extract. Did I mention it’s a dessert bread?
- Milk.
- Eggs.
- All-Purpose Flour.
Ingredients for the Filling
- Cream Cheese. The original recipe called for Farmer’s cheese which will also work.
- White Sugar.
- Sour Cream. Balances out the sugar in the filling to intensify the cheese flavor.
- Egg.
- Vanilla Extract.
- Dried Lemon Peel. I used fresh lemon peel and prefer fresh. I’m not sure why the original recipe called for dried.
- Butter.

Please note, that the recipe card has more complete instructions. This is intended as an overview.
How to Make Cheese Babka
Step One. Proof the Yeast.
This step of adding yeast to warm water with sugar allows you to insure that the yeast is still active before using any other ingredients trying to make bread with bad yeast.
Step Two. Mix the remaining cheese babka recipe ingredients to form a dough.
After combining everything according to the instructions, let the dough rise.
Step Three: Mix the cheese babka filling.
Combine the farmers’ cheese, sugar, sour cream, egg, vanilla extract and lemon peel.
Step Four: Form the loaf.
This step is similar to making cinnamon rolls. Spread the filling on the dough, then roll it up and let it rise again.
Step Five: Bake the bread.
After baking the bread for approximately 45 minutes, let it cool slightly before serving.
What to Serve with Polish Cheese Babka
Our recipe for cheese babka is delightful when served with a traditional Easter dinner and works well as an accompaniment for many different meals alongside meat and veggies. It could also be a stand-alone breakfast or snack!

Variations
Not all recipes call for the dough to be stuffed and rolled such as this
one. Some are baked in a loaf pan.
I made a cheese babka using cream cheese. You could use farmer’s cheese.
Some recipes include dried fruits such as raisins.
Almonds, walnuts, or pecans can be added to this bread.
How To Store Leftover Cheese Babka
Best Way To Store Polish Babka Bread
I recommend refrigerating because of the cream cheese. You can keep it wrapped in plastic wrap, place it in a plastic baggy, or store it in an airtight container. It will keep for up to five days.
Can I Freeze/Thaw Polish Cheese Babka
Yes. Place it in the freezer in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature.

FAQ
Yes, it is a very popular bread in Poland, specifically Northern
Poland. There are as many recipes for Babka as there are families that
make it.
It comes from Baba means “old-woman” or Grandmother.
Tips for The Best Cheese Babka Ever
Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic before the first rise.
Twist the dough evenly for best results. After you spread the filling over the dough, the recipe has you roll the bread into a log and then twist it into a rope. The first time I made this bread, I was a bit nervous doing this because I didn’t want all of my filling to squish out. I ended up twisting the bottom a bit tighter than the top. The result was that I didn’t lose the filling but there was a gap where the filling met the dough at the end that was rolled loosely.
Don’t forget to let us know how much you loved this Polish Cheese Babka recipe!

As many of you know, one of my goals is to learn more about baking and cooking. Bread is one of those things that I wanted to learn more about. I love baking bread, but there are some very technical aspects to baking bread that I have yet to master. I was pretty excited to try this Cheese Babka.
With Easter, I wanted to find a bread that would work on my table. I went online and started investigating “holiday breads”. The recipe that I decided to make was called Cheese Babka and it said that it was a Polish bread traditionally made for Easter.
This recipe exceeded my expectations. It has a sweetened cream cheese filling flavored with lemon zest. The crumb was moist as was the crust. It’s baked in a bundt pan and is so pretty and stands tall when it’s popped from the pan.
I learned a few things when I made this bread.
I made a few changes to the ingredients. The recipe calls for farmers cheese and I substituted cream cheese. It also called for dried lemon peel. I used fresh, and can’t imagine doing it any other way. I will definitely use this technique again. This bread is delicious!
TwelveLoaves is no longer active but the amazing recipes from our baking party are!
- Buttermilk Goat Cheese Biscuits from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Cheddar Chive Bread from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Cheddar Dill Twists from blackberry eating in late september
- Cheese Babka from Hostess At Heart
- Cheese Soda bread from Ma che ti sei mangiato
- Cream Cheese and Cherry Buns from girlichef
- Feta & Olive Swirls from The Bread She Bakes
- Pimento Cheese Straws from Kudos Kitchen By Renee
Kim
Saturday 30th of November 2019
Hi there! I have been making this recipe for a couple years now and my family loves it. I have a question though, because the dough is always so sticky and hard to work with for me. I always end up adding more flour than is called for. Is that okay or am I doing something wrong? Also the filling is always overflowing, it gets kind of messy so I don’t know what I’m doing wrong there either. Either way it always is delicious in the end but I just wish I knew if I was doing something wrong or if this is just to be expected. Thank you so much, like I said my husband’s family who are Polish, love it!
Julie Menghini
Sunday 1st of December 2019
Hi Kim! You aren't doing anything wrong. This dough is very sticky. Your filling can seep out if you roll you dough tightly. That wouldn't bother me. I didn't roll mine very tightly and you can see that I ended up with a gap. I'm going to redo this one and experiment a bit. My new son-in-law is Polish! I'll have to make this for him. Thank you for stopping by and your lovely comment!
FrugalHausfrau
Friday 17th of April 2015
I thought your last bread looked great, but this one! My mouth is watering!
Julie is Hostess At Heart
Friday 17th of April 2015
Thank you! It was a show stopper. Sometimes the oven god shines on Julie's kitchen. :)
kudoskitchen
Wednesday 15th of April 2015
Your babka looks delicious and I love that you chose cream cheese and fresh lemon zest. I love the way you write too. Lovely post, lovely recipe.
Julie is Hostess At Heart
Sunday 26th of April 2015
I apologize for not responding earlier! Your message went to spam for some reason. I appreciate your commenting on the babka! It was delicious and so fun to put together.
Nancy
Tuesday 14th of April 2015
Bravo to you, Julie, for your successful Babka! It looks picture perfect and I imagine it tasted fabulous. Love your substitution of cream cheese for the farmer's cheese!
Julie is Hostess At Heart
Tuesday 14th of April 2015
Thank you Nancy! I saw where someone else had done that and I also liked that idea. So happy to hear from you!
stephysweetbakes
Tuesday 14th of April 2015
Julie bang up job on this and I just KNOW how amazing it was, I can smell it from here. We both share the love of breads and cakes, yummy lol
Julie is Hostess At Heart
Tuesday 14th of April 2015
Thank you! It was fun and did turn out well.