Cinnamon-Walnut Challah…And Some New Digs

Oh hello there!

Yes, I know it’s been a hot minute since last we met here.  But things have been a little insane around here, due to relocating (in my tiny Corolla), living in a temporary furnished apartment for a couple months (with the WORST kitchen supplies! Also, the cats were not fans…), house hunting, finalizing my move from Atlanta, and closing on a house here in Louisville.  Oh yeah, and starting a major new job.  So yeah, a lot’s been happening.

But I have a mountain of deliciousness to make it up to you today.

The great news is that I’m back in a fully-functioning kitchen and raring to go.  I had to have them pipe in a propane line and install a new gas range because I was not dealing with that electric stove nonsense.  Isn’t she pretty????

So that’s where I’ve been hiding for the last couple months.  And without further ado, I bring you the yummiest stuffed challah bread you’ve ever had.  Butter and walnuts and cinnamon and brown sugar meld into a magical mess inside a soft enriched dough (yes, I’ve been watching GBBO).  But it’s surprisingly easy to pull together and got rave reviews from my co-workers.  Totally worth the little bit of extra effort.

Combine the milk, honey and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Warm until butter is *just* melted.  Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes, or until it is between 120-130 F (you just don’t want it to be too hot and kill the yeast).

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine 2 cups of the flour and the salt, cinnamon, and yeast.  Add the milk mixture and mix until smooth.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each.

Add the remaining flour a few tablespoons at a time, letting it incorporate into the dough before adding more. When all the flour has been added, the dough should be very soft, but still clear the sides of the bowl. If necessary, add a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue to knead the dough for about 5 more minutes until it’s smooth and elastic (I did a few minutes by hand on a lightly-floured surface too).

Carefully place the dough in a greased bowl (or tall square container if you have it, a la Paul Hollywood), cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Now it’s time to make the filling.  In a food processor blitz the butter, brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon and mix until smooth.  The mixture should be crumbly, not a paste.

Once it’s risen, gently punch down the dough to release the gases and knead a few more times by hand.  Then divide the dough into 3 pieces.

Working with each piece individually, place dough on a well-floured surface and roll into an approximate 12×6-inch rectangle.  Sprinkle one third of the walnut mixture on top of the dough.

Starting at one long end, tightly roll up the dough, pinch the ends (you don’t want the filling spilling out!) and carefully transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, seam side-down. Repeat with remaining 2 pieces of dough.

When you have finished rolling up all 3 pieces of stuffed dough, braid them together on the sheet pan, smooshing the ends together and tucking them under.  Cover with greased plastic wrap or a giant plastic bag and let rise in a warm place until doubled again, about 30-45 minutes.

When you’re ready to go, preheat the oven to 350 F.  Make an egg wash with 1 large egg and a teaspoon of water and brush on the loaf (GENTLY!!).

Bake until golden, about 35-40 minutes.  Congratulate yourself on how amazing your house smells.

Let it cool 15 minutes before transferring from the sheet pan onto a cooling rack and slicing.  It’s best the day you make it, but will keep in an airtight container or foil for a few days.

Cinnamon-Walnut Stuffed Challah

As with many recipes like this, it will always turn out best if you weigh the ingredients vs. just measuring, but it should be good either way.  I weighed the dough ingredients to make sure my dry and wet were balanced.

Dough:

• 1/2 cup (118 ml) of whole milk
• 1/4 cup (85 grams) of honey
• 1/2 cup (113 grams) of unsalted butter
• 3 cups (360 grams) of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons, 7 grams) of active-dry yeast
• 2 large eggs

Filling:

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) of unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (160 grams) of light or dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup (113 grams) of walnuts, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon (I used almost 3 teaspoons)

To make the dough:

1. Combine the milk, honey and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Heat it *just* until the butter is melted, then remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes (you want it to be around 120-130 F, if it’s too hot it’ll kill the yeast).
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine roughly 2 cups of the flour and the salt, cinnamon, and yeast.  Add the milk mixture and mix until smooth.  Then add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each.
3. Add the remaining flour a few tablespoons at a time, letting it incorporate into the dough before adding more. When all the flour has been added, the dough should be very soft and sticky, but still clear the sides of the bowl.  If necessary, add a few more tablespoons of flour, but don’t go overboard.  Continue to knead the dough for about 5 more minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic (I turned it out on a lightly floured surface and did a bit of hand-kneading toward the end).
4. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

To assemble the loaf:

1. To make the filling, blitz the butter, brown sugar, walnuts and cinnamon in a food processor until smooth.  The mixture should be crumbly, not a paste.
2. Gently punch down the dough and knead it a few more times by hand.  Divide the dough into 3 pieces.
3. Working with each piece individually, place the dough on a well-floured surface and roll into a rectangle that’s about 12 by 6 inches.
4. Sprinkle one third of the walnut mixture on top of the dough and try to get it evenly spread.  Tightly roll up the dough (long-wise, where you get a long rope), pinch the ends, and carefully transfer it to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or Silpat (the seam should be on the bottom).  Repeat with remaining 2 pieces of dough.
5. When you have finished rolling up all 3 pieces of stuffed dough, gently braid them together on the sheet pan and pinch the ends together, tucking the ends under to prevent the filling from spilling out.  Cover with greased plastic wrap or a very large plastic bag and let rise in a warm place until doubled again, about 30-45 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 F.  Make an egg wash with 1 large egg and a teaspoon of water and (GENTLY!) brush on the loaf.  Bake until golden, about 35-40 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes before transferring from sheet pan.

Original recipe from Completely Delicious

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