I recently had a ton of strawberries in my refrigerator that were going bad and had no clue what I wanted to do with them. With the quarantine going on right now, I am really trying to consciously cook everything I have before buying more groceries at the store. With that said, I knew I could make Jam out of the strawberries I had, and with that this idea started to form.
I don’t know if you’ve ever seen a babka before? But if you haven’t its a beautiful swirled piece of bread that typically has a sweet cinnamon or chocolate filling. However, I wanted to create a Challah since there are so many different things you can do with the bread, therefore, I morphed two ideas into one and thats where this Strawberry Jam Swirled Challah was born…
Now, if you don’t have any strawberries in your refrigerator, that is no problem. You can sub for any type of fruit and just make the jam the same way only switching out what fruit you use. Otherwise, feel free to use any sort of filling you like. I’ve used Nutella, chocolate and for a savory challah, you can use pesto.
However, my husband is a huge fan of homemade jams, so I stuck with making a double batch for good measure.
A good note about Challah is that it is actually dairy free. Challah is a special bread used in Jewish cuisine so it was invented to not contain any dairy. It may seem a bit similar to brioche, the only difference is that brioche uses butter, while challah doesn’t. So for my dairy-free friends out there, this bread is for you!
You do not have to make your own jam, store bought is perfectly fine and will save you some time!
However, if you have an excess of fruit you are nervous is going to go bad before you use it, simply put the fruit in a pan over high heat. Toss with sugar to coat and a tablespoon or two of arrowroot powder (cornstarch works as well) and simmer 3-5 minutes until the jam begins to thicken. Once its cooled, I place the jam in the fridge for a few minutes to help it bind a bit more.
Making the bread is fairly simple. You start with a yeast water sugar mixture, add one whole egg and 3 yolks (what gives challah its fluffy texture) then add flour slowly. By adding the flour slowly, this allows you to see when the bread gets to the perfect texture without drying out the dough. Let the bread rise and braid to give it it’s familiar shape. From there, the world is your oyster.
Challah has to be one of my favorite breads to make and have on hand for the rest of the week. It is universal in that it can be used in many different ways, for example:
- Whipped Cream Cheese Stuffed Challah French Toast (recipe coming soon)
- Open Faced Strawberry Jam Challah with melted Brie and lemon zest on top
- Grilled Peanut butter and Jelly filled Challah
- Simple Toasted Challah with Cinnamon Sugar Butter on top
- Challah Bread Pudding
Strawberry Jam Swirled Challah
Ingredients
Strawberry Jam
- 2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
Jam Filled Challah
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar for sprinkling
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Start by making the jam. Mix the berries, sugar and arrowroot powder in a pan over medium heat. When the mixture starts to boil, turn the flame low and let it simmer until it thickens. This should take 3-5 minutes. Once the jam coats the back of your spoon, turn off flame and let the jam cool.
- Meanwhile, mix the water, yeast and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer with a dough hook. I use my KitchenAid Stand Mixer, but if you don’t have one, no worries, this will work if you knead by hand as well. Stir and let the yeast mixture sit for 5 minutes until a foam builds across the top of the water.
- Once the yeast is starting to bubble, add in the eggs, honey, oil and salt. Mix until incorporated. Then with the mixer on low speed, add the flour one cup at a time until the dough starts to unstick from the walls of the mixer. This took me 5 1/2 cups, but will vary depending on the temperature of your kitchen and gluten content of your flour. Knead on low for 5 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth. Place in an oiled bowl and cover. Let it sit for an hour to rise in a warm area. I place mine by a window.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the dough has rested an hour, dust and turn the dough onto a work surface. Divide the dough into 3 equal balls. Its okay if they aren’t perfectly even. Roll each dough ball into a long rectangle about 6in in width by 12in long. Smear about 1/3 cup of the jam across the surface of each dough rectangle. Then starting from the longest end, begin to roll the dough towards the opposite end, creating a nice swirl through the dough. Once you’ve reached the other side, pinch the end piece to the dough to create a sealed seam.
- When all three rolls have been created, place on a baking sheet seam side down and pinch the ends of one side together. Begin to braid the 3 rolls starting from taking the middle piece and placing it on the outside of the right hand roll. Take the left side and place in the middle. Then take the right side and cross it over the middle to now replace the middle piece. Keep going until you’ve reached the end of each roll and pinch the ends together, then tuck a bit under to create a smooth end.
- Brush the top of the dough with an egg wash, then sprinkle with some granulated sugar. Place in the oven and let it bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, take the bread out and brush the middle again with the egg wash. While the dough bakes, it starts to pull apart leaving the center white. By brushing with more egg wash, it will allow this part to get nice and golden as well. Put the bread back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Once the bread is baked, let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing into it. This bread is amazing fresh out of the oven with some leftover strawberry jam and butter.
