Pumpkin Challah #FallHarvestDinnerParty

By Dustin

Ingredients

• Egg Wash:
• 1 package active dry yeast (I prefer Red Star brand)
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water, divided (approximately 110º_
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons whisked egg (half of one large egg)
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 3 1/2-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons water

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from delish.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Pour 1/4 cup of the lukewarm water (about 110 degrees) into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the yeast and 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar to the bowl, stir to dissolve. Wait 10 minutes. The yeast should bubble. Add the remaining 1/4 cup lukewarm water to the bowl along with the rest of the sugar, egg, egg yolks, honey, oil and salt and whisk to combine. Mix in the brown sugar and pumpkin puree. Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, begin to add the flour slowly till the dough is smooth and elastic, not sticky. Mix on low for a couple minutes to knead the dough. You can also do this by hand by mixing in the flour with a wooden spoon, then kneading by hand.

2. Grease a mixing bowl, then add the ball of dough. Twist it around to grease the bottom of the dough, then flip the dough over and cover with a damp towel. Place in your unheated oven and add a pan of hot water to one of the shelves. Let the dough rise for 2 hours, punching down at the 1 hour mark.

3. Punch the dough down into the bowl a few times, then turn the dough out onto your floured work surface. Knead in some flour if the dough is sticky.

4. Divide the dough into thirds and roll each into a long snake. Braid as desired. I have attached a video on my blog on how to make a more complicated 6-strand blog.

5. Place the braided bread on a parchment lined baking sheet. Make the egg wash by whisking together the egg and water. Brush the loaf with the egg wash and let rest as you preheat the oven to 350º. Bake for 35-40 minutes total but turn the pan at the halfway mark. If the loaf is browning too quickly, tent with foil. Remove to cooling rack when bread is done (will sound hollow when you rap on the loaf. Serve when cool.

add one

Conquered is putting it mildly Liz, this is beautiful. Believe it or not I had challah for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I would love to have a slice (or two) of this and I bet it makes wonderful French Toast.

Liz, what a beautiful bread. We are excited to make this but will not likely match your perfect loaf! So excited to be a part of this with you!

Challah is one of my favorite breads and yours is beautiful Liz! I’m sure the pumpkin adds great flavor and it really gives the loaf a warm seasonal color:@)

Liz, you never cease to amaze me! I only wish that I had the patience to make a beautifully braided challah like yours. I have a feeling (knowing myself like I do) that mine would not look so pretty when I was done

Your challah is absolutely gorgeous, love that you added pumpkin!

Stunning Liz! I need to add this to my list of flavored challah recipes. You certainly mastered the 6 strand braid! I love how challah dough is versatile for adding SO many flavors.

This is beautiful! Can’t believe you made this for the first time. The pumpkin adds such a lovely yellow hue. Absolutely Stunning!

Your challah is absolutely gorgeous.. love the addition of pumpkin to it

Next time I give challah a go, I am definitely adding pumpkin! I can only imagine how delicious it must taste, adding that extra sweetness to an already slightly sweet and eggy bread. Also that color is just stunning!