Babka with Spinach Pesto

In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients and make a well in the center. Pour in the starter, egg and egg yolk, and pieces of butter. Knead the dough until it is beautifully soft and elastic (when you stretch it between your fingers, it shouldn't tend to crack, but rather hold beautifully and spring back. This takes about 10 - 12 minutes of kneading with a stand mixer on low speed (if you don't have a mixer, first mix with a wooden spoon and once the ingredients combine, knead by hand).

First, make the starter – crumble the yeast and mix it in a bowl with a teaspoon of sugar. This will create an almost liquid paste. Then stir in all the warm milk. Cover with a cloth and let the starter rise in a warm place (you can help it by, for example, placing the bowl with the starter in a warm (not hot) water bath). The starter should rise within approximately 10 - 12 minutes. If it doesn't rise, it's better to make a new one.

Let it rise in a warm place, in a bowl lightly greased with oil and covered with foil (a warm water bath will help again). It should roughly double (or even two and a half times) in volume.