Black Sesame Challah 黑芝麻哈拉麵包
Challah is one of my favorite breads to develop recipes for. My first ever original recipe was a challah recipe. I love combining some untraditional flavors and playing around with the challah dough to create something unique and delicious. Most of the time I love using some asian elements in my challah, just like the recipe I am sharing here.
Black sesame is a common ingredient in Chinese desserts. It has many health benefits, including being good for bones and teeth because it’s high in calcium. Black sesame has very elegant color and aroma on its own. I use it here to create a deeper color for the bread with some condensed milk to add some sweetness to it. For people who are keeping kosher, feel free to use other sweetener like honey as a replacement.
Black Sesame Challah 黑芝麻哈拉麵包
Ingredients
Yeast, 10g
Water, 80g at 110-115F
Sugar, 12g + 40g
Egg, 1 large
Yolk, 2, save one egg white for egg wash
Condensed milk, 24g (switch to coconut condensed milk or honey if keeping kosher)
Bread Flour, 250g-280g
Black sesame powder, 50g
Salt, 3g
Steps
Put the yeast in the water with the 12g of sugar in the mixing bowl, wait for several minutes until the mixture is foamy and activated.
Add in the rest of the sugar (40g), condensed milk, whole egg and the yolks, mix a little.
Mix the salt, black sesame powder, and 250g of flour together and slowly add it into the bowl of the wet ingredients. Add in more flour if needed. Do not over flour. Knead until smooth and elastic.
Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and rest until it’s doubled in volume (about 2-3 hours).
Punch down the dough, cover, and rest for another 30 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the dough into equal portions, cover and rest for ten minutes. Roll the dough into long strands and braid. Transfer the braided dough onto the lined baking sheet. Cover and do a final proofing until when you press down the dough it slowly rises back up halfway. About 60-90 minutes, depending on the weather and temperature.
Preheat the oven to 375F. Whisk the saved egg white to make the egg wash.
Once proofed, brush on the egg wash from the egg white, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top. Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 350F. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool on a rack.
