Chocolate walnut challah starts with a classic base and is swirled with studs of chocolate, toasted walnuts and warm cinnamon brown sugar!
Chocolate walnut challah is a sweet, braided bread that combines the flavors of chocolate and creamy walnuts with the traditional Jewish egg bread, challah.
Traditionally, a round challah is made during the Jewish New Year called Rosh Hashanah, but any braid or shape will work for this challah throughout the rest of the year.
Chocolate Walnut Challah
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Chocolate walnut challah starts with a classic base and is swirled with studs of chocolate, toasted walnuts and warm cinnamon brown sugar!
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour + more for kneading sifted
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 1 packet yeast ¼oz
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons Nielsen-Massey vanilla paste
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 egg yolks whisked
Filling
- 1 cup Dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup roasted and finely chopped walnuts
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- First make the filling. In a food processor, add the walnuts and chocolate and pulse together until the nuts and chocolate are chopped fine, but not powdery They should still have some texture to it. Transfer to a bowl along with the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix together. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 cup warm water, yeast packet and sugar. Mix lightly with a fork to get all the yeast in the water and set aside for about 15 minutes until it foams up.
- In the same bowl, add eggs, oil and honey, vanilla paste and whisk together.
- Using a dough attachment on your mixer, gradually add flour and salt, about ½ cup at a time. Continue to gradually add flour until everything is incorporate and dough is in a cohesive ball.
- Turn the dough onto a very well floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes until dough is smooth. Too see if the dough is ready, press your finger in and if the dough bounces back quickly, it's ready.
- Place dough in a lighly oiled bowl, turning so dough has a light layer of oil on all sides. Place a towel or platic wrap over the bowl and let rice for about 1 hour -1 ½ hours or until doubled in size.
- Punch the dough and divide dough into 2 balls, this will be your challahs. Cover 1 ball of dough as you work with the other.
- For a 3 strand challah, divide the ball into 3 equal strands and roll each strand into a long snake, about 15 inches long. The use a rolling pin to flatten out the strand about 1-2 inches thick and spread the chocolate and walnut filling within the strand and pinch to seal ends. Repeat with remainign strands.
- Once the challahs are braded, place on a parchment lined baking sheet and let rise for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Brush egg wash all over the challah and bake for 30 minutes until lighlty golden brown.
- When done, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting the bread.
Notes
If you're having trouble with the filling, you can also knead it into the dough and braid from there.
Nutrition
Calories: 2358kcalCarbohydrates: 311gProtein: 44gFat: 107gSaturated Fat: 48gCholesterol: 201mgSodium: 2359mgPotassium: 1092mgFiber: 19gSugar: 97gVitamin A: 305IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 223mgIron: 20mg
Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!
Don says
Was going to try but went with another recipe that is more clear, complete and uses normal units of measure.
It might be me but I have issues with all the typos and "0.13 cups vegetable" and "0.13 brown sugar"
Samantha says
Hi Don, thanks for the feedback It's a very old recipe so I updated the recipe to make it more clear.
Samantha Brown says
Hi! Can I use vanilla extract instead of paste? If so, how much and when would I add it? Thank you!
Samantha says
Hi Samantha (Nice name!) Yes, totally use vanilla extract instead of the paste! I would add 1-2 tsp at the same time as the eggs and honey! Have fun!
Amy @ What Jew Wanna Eat says
These look absolutely perfect! Love how you saved the challah.
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
GORGEOUS chocolate walnut challah!!!! love!!!
Samantha says
Thanks gf :)))
Emily says
This doesn't look anything like a hot mess in my opinion Samantha, it looks incredibly delicious!
Samantha says
Ha! Thanks Emily!! I suppose challah couldn't look bad anyway 😉
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm says
I thought your braided challah looked absolutely perfect and it sound delicious!
Samantha says
Thank you so much Wendy!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
I've been looking forward to this post ever since you shared it on social media. Yum!
Samantha says
Ha! I was scared to post it because it wasn't "perfect" but I love how unperfect it is!
Liz says
You've put today's breakfast to shame! How I wish I had a few slices of your fabulous challah to nibble on with my morning tea---it looks amazing!
Samantha says
I was definitely "nibbling" this challah with my coffee too!