Pesto-Stuffed Challah

mikaela | wyldflour

2 Braided Loaves

Pesto-Stuffed Challah

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Ingredients

Low-Altitude Recipe:
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast (1 packet)
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon + 2 Tablespoons white granulated sugar
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons honey or maple syrup
High-Altitude Adjustments:
• Use 1/4 teaspoon less yeast (just remove it from the packet)
• May need a few less minutes in the oven--follow directions as is and watch carefully.
Stuffing & Topping:
• Heaping 1/4 cup pesto (homemade or store-bought) + extra for dunking
• 3/4-1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tablespoons pine nuts (optional)
• 1 large egg

Instructions

1. Combine warm water and 1/2 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the water, give it a quick stir just to wet the yeast, and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Combine flour, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Whisk eggs, oil, and honey together and set aside.
3. Pour yeast mixture into the dry ingredients. Give it two stirs and then add egg and oil mixture to the bowl. Stir until the dough starts to come together and all of the flour is either mixed in or sticking to the dough ball. (I.e., no loose flour in the bottom of the bowl.) Dump the dough out onto a floured surface. Add a tablespoon-ish of oil to the bowl and use your hand to grease the entire bowl, all the way up the edges.
4. Knead the dough, adding sugar to your hands or the surface as needed to prevent excessive sticking. You still want it to be a sticky dough, but you don't want your hands pulling dough away from the ball and unable to knead it. Continue kneading for 8-10 minutes, until smooth and satiny. You'll be able to tell, because the dough will start to skid and roll beneath the palms of your hands, rather than just squish and stick. Shape the dough into a ball and place in the oiled mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until double. (High-Altitude: About 1 hour, 15 minutes; Low Altitude: About 1 hour, 30 minutes.)
5. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into two equal parts. Divide the first part into three equal parts. Roll each of the three parts into a long, snake-like log, about 16 inches long. Use a rolling pin to flatten each of the three logs and spread to about a 3-inch width. Spread 2-3 teaspoons of pesto down the middle of the flattened log, leaving one long edge bare and spreading the pesto to the opposite edge. Sprinkle 2-3 teaspoons of parmesan cheese down each pesto strip. At the pesto'd edge, roll the long edge inward to basically re-create your log. Bring the bare edge up over the log and pinch the dough to seal the pesto inside. (It's totally okay if some pesto escapes--it'll be messy but it'll all work out.) After sealing each of the logs, braid the three logs together, pinching the ends. Move the dough to a parchment covered baking sheet. Repeat with second part of the dough. Allow both braids to rise in a warm place until puffed up. (High-Altitude: 20-25 minutes; Low-Altitude: 30 minutes.)
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Whip egg in a small bowl with a fork. Use a pastry brush to brush beaten egg over the two loaves. Sprinkle each loaf with about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and a tablespoon of pine nuts (if desired). Bake the challah until golden brown. (High Altitude: 23-25 minutes; Low Altitude: 25-28 minutes.) Remove from oven and move the loaves to a cooling rack immediately. Slice and serve with extra pesto for dipping!
7. Store loaves in an airtight plastic bag at room temperature.