Savory Braided Challah for Shavuot

I'm on a kick, haverim.  I'm loving this dairy-filled, cheesy, oozing challah adventure of pre-Shavuot cooking. And, yes, that sentence was ridiculous.  But so is this challah.

Basically,  took two of our favorite challot and braided them... together.  Parmesan Roasted Garlic Challah + Pizza Challah = Major Shavuot Love. So, I set to work.

For the Parmesan Roasted Garlic Challah, I needed some roasted garlic. To roast the garlic, I put an entire bulb into my teeny-tiny LeCreuset, spritzed with a little olive oil spray, and baked at 425 for about 50 minutes (until I could pierce it with a sharp knife).

In the meantime, I headed out to my garden for a bit of fresh basil for Pizza Challah. Can I just say... I'm over the MOON that it's gardening season.

For the loaves, I chose even-numbered braids {You can find my challah braiding methods here}.

The braids ultimately looked much more impressive when they were pre-bake than after the bake. The pre-bake really shows the orange color of Pizza Challah.

You could still see the color change on the ends of each challah.

And definitely inside!

I'm really happy with these challot. They're a marriage of two really delicious challah recipes. And, they're a bit ridiculous, which reminds me a lot of another marriage that is coming up on almost two years.

Hag Shavuot Same'ah from our bayit to yours!

The Return of Pizza Challah

Back in January when The Hazz and I visited his family in Rhode Island, we modified our Parmesan Roasted Garlic Challah into Pizza Challah. The Hazz is the primary creator of Pizza Challah, and it is AMAZING.

Today is a swelteringly hot summer day here in the Midwest, so I modified Pizza Challah just a bit for humidity. Here's a modification. Modifications in amount or ingredient are indicated with a star*.


3/4 c water
2* tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 egg + 1 egg for wash
1/4 c OLIVE OIL*
3 1/2* c flour (I use 1/3 bread flour)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp* parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder plus 1/4* tsp garlic powder
generous sprinkle of oregano
2 1/2* tbsp tomato paste
1 "handful" shredded mozarella cheese
heaping* 1/4 c chopped fresh basil (I can't wait to try this with basil from our own garden which you can read about on my personal blog)

Follow the method on the original Pizza Challah. Sprinkle the whole shebang with 1 tbsp parmesan and 1/4 tsp garlic powder (mixed). Bake at 350 for 30 minutes turning halfway through.

Now, here's a new, AMAZING idea. Introduce what you know works for at home pizza to this challah... THE PIZZA STONE. I read a few ideas to prevent cracking and breaking of breads using stones or pre-heated cookie sheets underneath your baking sheet. What I find is that my challot often get too crusty but don't bake through. The pizza stone is an attempt to stop this. Without it, the bread goes in the oven, crusts over, expands, and cracks. With the stone, the heat contact on the bottom is instant and conducted up through the bread. The result, the bread goes in the oven, expands, crusts over. AMAZING! I think I'm in love. (Of note, I used--and always use--an insulated cookie sheet for my challot. Love it.)

Shabbat Shalom from The Hazz and The Mrs. to you!!!

Pizza Challah

Please enjoy Pizza Challah!


INGREDIENTS

3/4 c water
1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 egg + 1 egg for wash
1/4 c vegetable oil
3 c flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp plus 2 tsp parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
generous sprinkle of oregano
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 "handful" shredded mozarella cheese
scant 1/4 c chopped fresh basil


METHOD

Place very warm water in mixing bowl. Add yeast and honey, mixing with wooden spoon. Allow to rest for 10 minutes or so.

Blend together the flour, salt, 1 1/2 tbsp of the parmesan cheese, mozarella, oregano, and garlic powder in large bowl and set aside. Add egg, tomato paste, and vegetable oil, mixing wooden spoon. Add the flour/cheese mixture in two parts, adding extra water if dough is sticky. Knead manually or with a stand mixer until ball forms.

Allow to rise several hours, until dough has doubled in size. Punch down and remove all air bubbles. Braid in your preferred method. Allow to rise an additional 45-60 minutes. Top with an egg wash and sprinkle with 2 tsp parmesan cheese.

Round fresh mozzarella version: Add thin slices of fresh mozarella and coil together. Best served hot!

Bake at 350 for around 35 minutes.