Chocolate Challah Bread - 6 Strand Braid
A two-tone braided chocolate challah loaf with chocolate and plain challah strands which makes a great special breakfast bread
Servings 12
Calories 284kcal
Ingredients
- 300 ml warm water
- 2 sachets fast action yeast 14 g
- 3 tbsp runny honey
- 80 ml vegetable oil I used sunflower
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon heaped
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 500 g strong white (bread) flour
- 25 g cocoa powder
- 100 g chocolate chunks
- 1 egg for egg wash
Instructions
- Add the yeast to the warm water in a large bowl and mix in the honey and oil.300 ml warm water, 2 sachets fast action yeast, 3 tbsp runny honey, 80 ml vegetable oil
- Slowly add the flour, bit by bit, stirring at first and then kneading once it is less sticky.500 g strong white (bread) flour
- Add the cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt, and knead using a dough hook in a stand mixer for ten minutes.1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 0.5 tsp salt
- Split the dough into two pieces, place one piece in a bowl and cover with clingfilm, then leave it to rise for an hour until doubled in size.
- Take the other piece of dough and knead in the cocoa powder. If it goes a little dry you can add a tiny bit more water and/or oil, but make sure it is only a tiny amount.25 g cocoa powder
- Put the chocolate dough in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for an hour until doubled in size.
- Knock back both bowls, then add half the chocolate chunks to each bowl and knead in to the dough.100 g chocolate chunks
- Split each piece of dough into three and roll each piece into a long thin strand.
- Braid the six strands to form a plait (check YouTube for tutorials on how to do this) and place the loaf on a silicone mat to rise again, for 30 to 45 mins (I left it for longer as I popped out but would reduce the time next time).
- Preheat the oven to 180℃ / 350℉. Brush all over the loaf with the egg wash.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the loaf is golden brown and the base sounds hollow if tapped. When you check the loaf you can also brush on more egg wash to cover any areas where the bread has stretched during baking, this gives a uniform shiny appearance.
Nutrition
Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg