I am not a huge fan of figs however, I do love challah. I have so many different challah recipes and I haven't yet found the perfect one.
I spent my four years in college baking challah for a charity called Challah for Hunger. Challah for Hunger was a fun volunteer group where all the proceeds went to a food charity. For the volunteer group, we would spend many hours trying out different challah recipes to make the perfect bread. I have found each time I make challah it always comes out different. I learned over the years that the key to making any bread is to be patient and let the dough rise for as long as possible. This challah recipe by Smitten Kitchen is excellent. It is fluffy, moist, and oh so tasty! For a future bake, I will try different savory stuffings because I love my challahs stuffed. Lastly, egg wash makes the challah golden brown however, I am often running low on eggs so I substitute with a milk wash or olive oil wash. All options work well in my opinion.
A few tips about bread making:
Bread making is hard and it takes a lot of time and patience to make because you have to let the yeast do its thing and grow! Keeping your dough in a warm environment can help expedite the process. I will keep the dough over a preheated stove to create the ideal proving environment.
Using an electric mixer with a dough maker will improve the bread making process significantly because you don't have to spend as much time kneading the dough. Basically the dough hook will do all the kneading for you!
Bread flour is normally ideal for making any type of bread because it has a higher gluten content. However, I used all-purpose flour for this recipe and most of my bread recipes and the breads still come out tasting delicious!
Fig Challah
Serving Size: 1 large challah
Total Time: 3 hours
Source: Recipe adapted from SmittenKitchen cookbook.
Bread:
2 1/4 teaspoons ( packet) active dry yeast
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon honey
2/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for the bowl
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt, such as Maldon, or 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
Fig Filling:
1 cup (5 1/2 ounces) stemmed and roughly chopped dried figs
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest, or more as desired
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Few grinds black pepper
Egg wash:
1 large egg
Coarse or flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Step 1: To make the dough, whisk the yeast and 1 teaspoon honey into warm water, and let it stand for a few minutes, until foamy. In a large mixer bowl, combine the yeast mixture with remaining honey, 1/3 cup olive oil, and eggs. Add the salt and flour, and mix until the dough begins to hold together. Switch to a dough hook or by hand, and run at low speed for 5 to 8 minutes.
Step 2: Transfer the dough to an olive-oil coated bowl cover with plastic wrap and dish towel, and set aside for 1-2 hours, or until almost doubled in size. Step 3: To make fig paste: In a small saucepan, combine the figs, zest, water, juice, salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the figs are soft and tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, and let cool to lukewarm. Process fig mixture in a food processor until it resembles a fine paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Set aside to cool.
Step 4: After your dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured counter and divide it in half. Roll the first half of the dough into a wide and totally imperfect rectangle. Spread half the fig filling evenly over the dough, stopping short of the edge. Roll the dough into a long, tight log, trapping the filling within. Then gently stretch the log as wide as feels comfortable (I take mine to my max counter width, a pathetic three feet), and divide it in half. Repeat with the remaining dough and fig filling. I noticed that it is easier if you roll the dough so the rectangular longest side is extra long. This helps with the braiding.
Step 5: To weave your challah, Arrange two ropes in each direction, perpendicular to each other, like a tight tic-tac-toe board. Weave them so that one side is over, and the other is under, where they meet. So, now you’ve got an eight-legged woven-headed octopus. Take the four legs that come from underneath the center and move the leg to their right. Take the legs that were on the right and, again, jump each over the leg before, this time to the left. If you have extra length in your ropes, you can repeat these left-right jumps until you run out of rope. Tuck the corners or odd bumps under the dough with the sides of your hands to form around.
Step 6: Transfer the dough to a parchment-cover heavy baking sheet, or, if you’ll be using a bread stone, a baker’s peel. Beat egg until smooth, and brush over challah. Let challah rise for another hour, but 45 minutes into this rise, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. The second rise is essential so don't skip this step.
Step 7: Bake your loaf: Before baking, brush loaf one more time with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake in the middle of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. It should be beautifully bronzed; if yours starts getting too dark too quickly, cover it with foil for the remainder of the baking time. Cool loaf on a rack before serving.
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