Pumpkin Challah
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5
159 reviews
Excellent
Pumpkin Challah
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Pumpkin Challah is a braided bread enriched with pumpkin puree and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. This recipe produces a soft but substantial loaf with a subtle sweetness from honey and brown sugar, complemented by fragrant autumn spices. The dough is kneaded until smooth and elastic, allowing a tender crumb and a rich, slightly sweet flavor profile suitable for festive occasions or special breakfasts.
Description
The Pumpkin Challah recipe starts by activating active dry yeast in lukewarm water with sugar until frothy, ensuring good dough rise. Pumpkin puree is mixed with honey, brown sugar, and a blend of spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and a pinch of cloves to impart the bread with a warm, autumnal aroma and flavor. Combining these with eggs, oil, and salt creates a thick, richly flavored dough that is kneaded with flour until elastic and no longer sticky.
The dough is then braided before baking, reflecting traditional challah preparation, which gives it an appealing appearance and ensures even baking. A glossy egg wash applied before baking enhances the golden crust. The finished bread balances light sweetness with spice, texture, and richness, making it a sturdy yet tender bread good for toasting, sandwiches, or accompanying holiday meals.
This recipe requires common kitchen tools like mixing bowls, parchment paper, and a pastry brush for the egg wash. The method focuses on proper yeast activation, precise dough consistency, and careful kneading and braiding to achieve the ideal challah texture.
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Ingredients
Challah Ingredients
- 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1 cup water lukewarm, divided
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 large egg white and yolk
- 6 large egg yolk
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (you may substitute canola oil - I prefer avocado oil for its health benefits)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- Pinch cloves
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups pumpkin homemade or canned, puree
- 7-9 cups all-purpose baking flour
Egg Wash Ingredients
- 2 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Pour ½ cup of the lukewarm water (about 110 degrees) into a large mixing bowl. Add 2 packets of Active Dry Yeast and 1 tbsp of sugar to the bowl, stir to dissolve. Wait 10 minutes. The yeast should have activated, meaning it will look expanded and foamy. If it doesn’t, your yeast may have expired, which means your bread won’t rise—go buy some fresh yeast!
- Once your yeast has activated, add remaining ½ cup lukewarm water to the bowl along with the rest of the sugar, egg, egg yolks, honey, canola oil, salt and spices. Use a whisk to thoroughly blend the ingredients together. Whisk in the brown sugar and pumpkin puree to form a thick liquid.
- Begin adding the flour to the bowl by half-cupfuls, stirring with a large spoon each time flour is added. When mixture becomes too thick to stir, use your hands to knead.
- Continue to add flour and knead the dough until it’s smooth, elastic, and not sticky. The amount of flour you will need to achieve this texture varies—only add flour until the dough feels pliable and “right.”
- Place a saucepan full of water on the stove to boil. Meanwhile, remove the dough from your mixing bowl and wash out the bowl. Grease the bowl with canola oil. Push the dough back into the bottom of the bowl, then flip it over so that both sides are slightly moistened by the oil.
- Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Place the bowl of dough on the middle rack of your oven. Take the saucepan full of boiling water and place it below the rack where your dough sits. Close the oven, but do not turn it on. The pan of hot water will create a warm, moist environment for your dough to rise. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
- Take the dough bowl out and punch it down several times to remove air pockets. Place it back inside the oven and let it rise for 1 hour longer.
- Take the dough out of the oven. Flour a smooth surface like a cutting board. Punch the dough down into the bowl a few times, then turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Knead for a few minutes, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from feeling sticky.Now your dough is ready to braid. If you plan to separate and bless the challah, do it prior to braiding. Separate the dough into two equal portions; each portion of dough will be enough for a large loaf of challah. Click here to learn How to Braid Challah.
- After you’ve braided your challah loaves, place them on two separate cookie sheets lined with parchment paper (this will catch any spills from your egg wash and keep your challah from sticking to the cookie sheet).
- Prepare your egg wash by beating the egg yolks and water until smooth. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of the mixture onto the visible surface of your challah.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Let the braids rise 30 to 45 minutes longer. You’ll know the dough is ready to bake when you press your finger into the dough and the indentation stays, rather than bouncing back.The challah will need to bake for about 40 minutes total, but to get the best result the baking should be done in stages. First, set your timer to 20 minutes and put your challah in the oven.
- After 20 minutes, take the challah out of the oven. Turn the tray around, so the opposite side is facing front, and put the tray back into the oven. Turning the tray helps your challah brown evenly—the back of the oven is usually hotter than the front.The challah will need to bake for about 20 minutes longer. For this last part of the baking process, keep an eye on your challah—it may be browning faster than it’s baking. Once the challah is browned to your liking, take the tray out and tent it with foil, then place it back in the oven. Remove the foil for the last 2 minutes of baking time.
- Take the challah out of the oven. You can test the bread for doneness by turning it over and tapping on the bottom of the loaf—if it makes a hollow sound, it’s done. Let challah cool on the baking sheet or a wire cooling rack before serving.
Notes
- Use a large mixing bowl and whisk for mixing ingredients thoroughly.
- Allow yeast to activate fully by waiting for frothy expansion before adding other ingredients.
- Prepare two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper for baking.
- Use a pastry brush to apply egg wash for a shiny, golden crust.
- Have a kitchen towel and timer ready to help with dough rising and baking times.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
208kcal
(10%)
Carbohydrates
39g
(13%)
Protein
5g
(10%)
Fat
3g
(5%)
Cholesterol
69mg
(23%)
Sodium
203mg
(8%)
Potassium
103mg
(2%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
9g
(18%)
Vitamin A
3270IU
(65%)
Vitamin C
0.8mg
(1%)
Calcium
25mg
(3%)
Iron
2.3mg
(13%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 24servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 208 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 208kcal | 10% |
| Carbohydrates | 39g | 13% |
| Protein | 5g | 10% |
| Fat | 3g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 69mg | 23% |
| Sodium | 203mg | 8% |
| Potassium | 103mg | 2% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 9g | 18% |
| Vitamin A | 3270IU | 65% |
| Vitamin C | 0.8mg | 1% |
| Calcium | 25mg | 3% |
| Iron | 2.3mg | 13% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
159 reviews
Excellent
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