This is my all-time favorite challah recipe. The taste is simply unmatched, and the cheese and scallion swirls throughout each slice are exquisite to boot. I love to slice the challah thinly to make toast on Shabbat morning. The cheesy, oniony smell that wafts throughout the house is divine. This is one recipe that you’ll definitely want to save, as the challah won’t last long before it’s all “scuppered up,” as my husband would say. If you’re making the challah in bulk to freeze, I suggest that you slice it into 4-5″ chunks as opposed to slices. This way, you can thaw just a few slices’ worth at a time, and it’ll also stay as fresh as possible for when you do slice and eat it. Also, the cheddar scallion challah makes particularly tasty sandwich bread. The recipe calls for 1/3 batch of my challah dough recipe, which you can find here.
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First, make standard challah dough and stop just after proofing in the oven. Divide your dough ball into 3 equal chunks of dough (or however strands you’d like to braid). I use a kitchen scale, but feel free to eyeball it for a more rustic look.
Take one of the dough chunks and put it onto your worktop. Cover the other two chunks with a kitchen towel so they don’t dry out. Roll the dough into a long snake shape and then flatten it into a long rectangle with a rolling pin. Take ¾ cup of cheddar and put half of it onto the top of your flattened dough, and use the rolling pin to roll it into the dough. Flip it over and repeat with the other half of the ¾ cup of cheddar. Arrange scallion pieces onto the dough along the entire length of the rectangle. Fold the long sides in over the scallion and pinch them together to form a long, scallion-stuffed roll of cheesy dough. Repeat with the other two chunks of dough.
Arrange the dough “snakes” next to one another and pinch them together at the top. Braid your challah, pinching again at the bottom and then tucking the end underneath the challah. Flip your challah around so the top is now the bottom and tease the strands away from one another and braid them as well, pinching them at the end and tucking the end under the challah like before.
Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for 30 minutes to rise. Preheat the oven 350°F. Once your challah has rested, place it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or an oiled bread tin) and brush the top of it with egg yolk.
Bake at for about 35 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and make sure that the challah is cooked through. You’ll know it is when you gently try to tease braids apart (on the end or somewhere else inconspicuous)- there should be no evidence of doughiness, and the braids want to stay intact, almost like there are strands of gluten holding them together. Remove the challah from the tray and cool. Slice once it’s fully cooled, or the cheddar won’t hold the swirl as well.
Cheddar Scallion Challah
Ingredients
- ⅓ batch challah dough AFTER proofing
- 2¼ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 bunches scallions (both the green AND white parts- stopping just shy of the roots) chopped
- 2 tsp avocado oil (or other vegetable oil)
- 2 egg yolks, for brushing
Instructions
- First, make standard challah dough and take a third of that batch for this challah. Divide your dough into 3 equal chunks of dough (or however strands you'd like to braid). I use a kitchen scale, but feel free to eyeball it for a more rustic look.
- Take one of the dough chunks and put it onto your worktop. Cover the other two chunks with a kitchen towel so they don't dry out. Roll the dough into a long snake shape and then flatten it into a long rectangle with a rolling pin. Take ¾ cup of cheddar and put half of it onto the top of your flattened dough, and use the rolling pin to roll it into the dough. Flip it over and repeat with the other half of the ¾ cup of cheddar. Arrange scallion pieces onto the dough along the entire length of the rectangle. Fold the long sides in over the scallion and pinch them together to form a long, scallion-stuffed roll of cheesy dough. Repeat with the other two chunks of dough.
- Arrange the dough "snakes" next to one another and pinch them together at the top. Braid your challah, pinching again at the bottom and then tucking the end underneath the challah. Flip your challah around so the top is now the bottom and tease the strands away from one another and braid them as well, pinching them at the end and tucking the end under the challah like before.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside for an hour to rise. Preheat the oven 350°F. Once your challah has rested, place it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or an oiled bread tin) and brush the top of it with egg yolk.
- Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes and then remove from the oven and egg yolk wash where the challah expanded and therefore doesn't have any egg wash on it. Return the challah to the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden.
- Remove from the oven and make sure that the challah is cooked through. You'll know it is when you gently try to tease braids apart (on the end or somewhere else inconspicuous)- there should be no evidence of doughiness, and the braids want to stay intact, almost like there are strands of gluten holding them together. Remove the challah from the tray let cool before slicing.