Chocolate Challah
Ingredients
- Bread ⓘ
- 3 - 3 1/2 cups bread flour ⓘ
- 1 (2 1/4 teaspoon) packet fast-rising active dry yeast ⓘ
- 3/4 cup water ⓘ
- 1/3 cup brown sugar ⓘ
- 1/3 cup cocoa ⓘ
- 4 tablespoons butter ⓘ
- 1/2 teaspoon salt ⓘ
- 1 large egg ⓘ
- Filling ⓘ
- 5 ounces cream cheese ⓘ
- 1 ounce baking chocolate, melted ⓘ
- 3 tablespoons sugar ⓘ
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ⓘ
- 1 egg yolk ⓘ
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract ⓘ
- Glaze ⓘ
- 1 ounce cream cheese ⓘ
Instructions
- Heat the water to 110°F.
- Mix about one cup of the flour, the yeast, and the heated water until smooth.
- Add brown sugar, cocoa, butter, salt, egg and mix.
- Add enough of the remaining bread flour to make a soft dough.
- Knead about four minutes with a mixer at medium speed or by hand (may take a little longer) until dough is elastic and smooth.
- Set the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it stand in a warm place until doubled, about one hour.
- Filling:
- Beat the cream cheese until soft and smooth Add the melted chocolate while it is still hot and mix until smooth.
- Add the sugar, flour, egg yolk and vanilla.
- Mix until smooth.
- Once the dough has risen, punch out the air and knead it for a couple of minutes until smooth.
- Use a knife to divide the dough into three equal pieces.
- Roll the dough pieces with a rolling pin to rectangles 15 inches by 5 inches.
- Spread 1/3 of the filling down the center of each, leaving a one-inch border with no filling.
- Roll the rectangle into fifteen-inch long ropes with the filling inside.
- Pinch any seams together and roll the ropes with your hands until smooth.
- Braid the three ropes.
- When you get to the ends, wet them, pinch them together, and tuck them under.
- Prepare a large baking sheet by greasing and sprinkling with cornmeal.
- Place the loaf on the pan, cover the loaf, and let it rise until doubled, about one hour
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the bread for 20 minutes then cover the bread with a large sheet of aluminum foil and bake for another ten to fifteen minutes or until done.
- While the bread is cooling, make the glaze.
- With a mixer, beat cream cheese with vanilla.
- Add powdered sugar and cocoa with enough warm water to make a glaze of drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle the chocolate glaze generously over the bread.
Nutrition & Diet Analysis (per serving)
1598
kcal
80% DV
Protein
Fat
Carbs
* % Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet (FDA 2020).