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Ingredients:
½ cup warm water (divided)
2 ¼ teaspoons yeast (one packet) (I usually end up using about 2.5 though)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 eggs
4 egg yolks
⅓ neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
4 Tablespoons honey
Cinnamon (to taste)
4-5 cups of gluten-free self-rising flour (use your best judgment though, it might need more or less. I personally like the GF Caputo Flour, but Pamela's and King Arthur are good as well)
3 Tablespoons and 2 teaspoons white sugar (divided)
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoon butter
Brown sugar (to taste)
Sugar crystals
Note: This challah recipe is good for all flavors! It rises quite nicely and is pretty fluffy.
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 200º F, then turn it off once it reaches temperature-- this helps the dough rise. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
Mix ¼ cup of very warm water (about 110 degrees) with 1 teaspoon sugar. Add in yeast and let proof for 10 minutes. Make sure the water is not too hot because it will deactivate the yeast.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the remaining ¼ cup warm water, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, eggs, egg yolks, oil, honey, and cinnamon until well combined.
In a separate bowl, mix the remaining white sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
After 5 minutes of proofing, stir in the yeast-water mixture into the wet ingredients. Make sure yeast is active!
Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until a sticky dough consistency is formed. I don’t actually measure how much flour I use so you may need more or less than 4-5 cups. I like to keep mine a little sticky in the mixer because I knead in the rest of the dough by hand. If you want to knead in the mixer, add in more flour until the dough looks smooth.
Knead for about 8 minutes.
Spread some oil in a large bowl and flip the dough so it covers the dough.
At this point, the oven should be warm, not hot! Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen cloth, not a towel or paper towel because it will stick. Let rise in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes.
After it rises, take it out of the bowl and knead for another 1-2 minutes.
Let rise in the oven for another hour and 15 minutes.
Once the dough has risen a second time, take it out of the oven. Knead the dough for a few minutes.
Roll the dough into a large ¼ thick rectangle (for 2 smaller challahs, cut dough into 2 equal sizes before rolling).
Melt butter and spread evenly across the large rectangle. Sprinkle a thin layer of maple sugar (or brown sugar)and cinnamon evenly across the dough. Leave a small border so that the filling stays inside the roll.
Cut dough length-wise into 3 even sections. Then roll each section lengthwise. At this point, you should have 3 long rolls. You can also divide it into 4 sections if you want a 4-strand braid.
Braid the dough. Pro tip: start braid from the middle, not the end. Make sure to leave a very thin layer of flour on each strand so that the braid holds its structure.
Let rise for about 45-60 minutes.
After 40 minutes, preheat the oven to 350.
Spread some egg wash on the dough (egg and a dash of water)-- save the remainder to reapply later.
Sprinkle cinnamon and white sugar crystals on top *optional*
Bake the large challah for about 40-45 minutes, until golden brown-- for two smaller challahs, bake for about 35 minutes. Once again, use your best judgment, it might need more or less time. It should be golden brown and pretty firm to the touch. The internal temperature should be about 198 degrees.
*Halfway through, take challah out and reapply egg wash. Make sure to get it into all the crevices for a nice golden color. Then turn the pan around in the oven so that it cooks evenly on both sides!
Let it cool for about 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy!
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