Good morning handsome, it's time to shape and bake our babka! Firstly, prepare a loaf tin by lining it with parchment paper. The dimensions of my loaf tin are 26 x 6 x 12 cm (10 x 2,4 x 5 inches).
Take the dough and raspberry jam out of the fridge. Transfer the dough to a very well-floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle with approximate dimensions of 30 x 40 cm (17 x 12 inches). Spread the prepared jam over the brioche dough leaving the border without jam. Gently brush those borders with water and roll the dough into a log.
Slice the rolled dough through the middle with a very sharp knife sprinkled with some flour or pastry scraper. Lay one piece of dough over the other so they form a cross shape and then twist both halves together. With the help of the pastry scraper transfer the babka to the loaf tin, cover it, and let it rise. It will take 2-2,5 hours probably, depending on the temperature of your room.
15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 180°C (356° F). Brush the babka with prepared egg wash and if you wish, sprinkle with some chopped nuts. Place it in the oven on a medium rack and bake for 35 - 40 min. While the babka is in the oven, prepare the simple sugar syrup by mixing the water and sugar together and cooking it until it thickens. Set aside.
Towards the end of baking, when babka is almost done, put a metal skewer or toothpick in the bread to check if it's baked. Then take it out of the oven, very carefully took it out of the loaf tin, and place it on the cooling rack.
Brush the babka with sugar syrup while it's still warm. And now, the hardest part: wait for it to cool completely. Then cut it into slices and serve. Enjoy!