Matcha Honey Challah 抹茶蜂蜜哈拉麵包
This is recipe holds a special place in my heart as this is my first ever fusion recipe. Also the first ever that got published on other people’s website. So, this is forever going to be a very special one for me.
Challah is the first bread I really learn how to make. And of course, the first jewish baked goods for me to make as well. I first started with a friend’s family recipe, then I moved onto Joan Nathan’s recipe on New York Times, after that I tried so many other great recipes- Jake’s, Adeena’s, Leah’s… I’ve made them all And they are all special and slightly different from each other. The more I make them, the better I get at making them. The iron rule for almost everything in life. Eventually I decided to develop a recipe of my own, and that’s how this one was born. I combined matcha with my honey challah to get this gorgeous green and the amazing aroma from the matcha.
This challah is perfect for any Shabbat or even Rosh Hashanah. The bread has this deep color after baked but bright green once it’s sliced open. A cute little surprise to my guests every time!
Matcha honey challah 抹茶蜂蜜哈拉麵包
Ingredients
Yeast 10g
Water 76g at 110-115F
Sugar 12g + 40g
Egg 1 large, plus another one for egg wash
Yolk 2
Honey 24g
AP 290-310g
Matcha powder 10g
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), honey, whole egg and the yolks, mix a little.
Mix the salt and 290g of flour together and slowly add it into the bowl of the wet ingredients. Add in more flour if needed. Do not over flour. Add in matcha powder and salt. Knead until smooth and elastic.
Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover and rest until double in volume (about 2-3 hours)
Punch the dough down, cover, and rest for another 30 minutes
Divide into equal portion (if doing three braids, divide the dough into three etc), cover and rest for ten minutes
Roll into long strands. Braid. Cover and rest for 30 minutes
Whisk the remaining one egg to make the egg wash. Brush it on the dough, cover and final proof until when press down the dough it slowly rises back up halfway. About 60-90 minutes, depending on the weather and temperature.
Preheat oven to 350F
Once proofed, brush another layer of egg wash, if you want seeds on top, sprinkle seeds once brushed.
Bake for 25-30 minutes. Chill on rack
