Instructions: By the children of Anna Dziengiel Pieklo and dedicated to her. I have made it and it is absolutely delicious. Having grown up in a VERY Polish family, this is the closest recipe Ive found to the Babka I grew up on!

TOPPING: Melt 2 tbs. margarine in a pan. Remove from heat and add 2 tbs. sugar and 1/4 cup flour. Stir with a spoon to combine, then work with your fingers until you achieve a crumb topping. Set aside.

Break up yeast in a bowl and mix in 1 tbs. sugar. Combine well until it liquefies. Stir in water. Set aside. Combine margarine with milk and heat to scald. Cool to lukewarm.

Use a large bowl to beat egg yolks with sugar and then add the milk mixture. Stir in the salt, raisins and yeast. Add the flour all at once.

Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add additional 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix it in well with your hand. Knead on a lightly floured surface about 10 minutes.

Round up the dough in a greased bowl, turn greased side up. Cover with damp towel and let rise in a warm area approximately 2 1/2 hrs. (bulk will double.) Punch down and let rise 1 1/2 hrs. or until double. Grease 10" tube pan. Punch down dough and place it in tube pan, cover, and let rise for an hour or until double. Brush top with 1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tsp. water.

Distribute crumb topping lightly and bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hrs.

Cool in pan 10 minutes.

COTTAGE CHEESE FILLING FOR BABKA: Combine all ingredients. When Babka dough has been punched down after the second rising, spread or roll dough into rectangle. Spoon filling along center of dough. Fold dough over filling making ends meet. Place in pan and bake according to Babka directions. Filling should be at room temperature. Fills one Babka.

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