Re babka: did you know there are two common sizes of loaf pan, and they aren't really interchangeable? The smaller is 8.5 by 4.5 inches, and the larger is 9 by 5 inches. Both are usually about the same height, about 2.5 inches tall. If you do the math, the bottom of the big one is about 15% bigger than the bottom of the small one. If your pan was the smaller size but the recipe was written for the larger size, that might explain why you felt like there was too much dough to fit in the pan. (Conversely, if you use a larger pan to make a recipe written to go in a smaller pan, your bread will often wind up short and squat compared to what the recipe intended.)
I have one of those cushions too! I did find that it’s best for about 20 minutes at a time, or my bottom goes numb.
Re babka: did you know there are two common sizes of loaf pan, and they aren't really interchangeable? The smaller is 8.5 by 4.5 inches, and the larger is 9 by 5 inches. Both are usually about the same height, about 2.5 inches tall. If you do the math, the bottom of the big one is about 15% bigger than the bottom of the small one. If your pan was the smaller size but the recipe was written for the larger size, that might explain why you felt like there was too much dough to fit in the pan. (Conversely, if you use a larger pan to make a recipe written to go in a smaller pan, your bread will often wind up short and squat compared to what the recipe intended.)