Raspberry Pistachio Babka

Prepare the dough by combining all the babka ingredients and mixing until well combined. Knead for 2-3 minutes until you have a smooth dough.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for 60 -90 minutes, or until almost double in size.

While the dough is rising, prepare the raspberry filling. Place sugar and raspberries in a medium saucepan. Cook at medium-high heat until boil. Continue boiling, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken and has a gel consistency. Remove from heat and allow cooling.

Gently deflate the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a 12X16-inch rectangle.

Spread the raspberry jam over the dough leaving ½-inch border all around. Sprinkle the pistachios on top.

Tightly roll up the dough from the long side, like a jellyroll. Seal the edges. With a very sharp knife, slice the log lengthwise down the middle. With the filled side up, twist the two logs to form a braid. Pinch the two braids together forming a circle.

Carefully transfer to a baking sheet prepared with parchment paper. Cover with plastic paper and allow the babka to grow for 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F.

Bake for 45 minutes. If the babka looks golden brown after 20 minutes, tent it with aluminum foil to prevent the crust from browning too much. After 45 minutes, remove from the oven and place over a cooling rack.