Honey Roasted Jalapeño Cornbread Challah

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup of warm water

• 1 Tablespoon dry yeast (one packet)

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 2 large eggs

• ⅔ cup honey (you can add more if you wanted it sweeter. I added a honey glaze on top so I didn’t want too much in the dough)

• ⅓ cup canola oil/neutral oil

• 2 teaspoon salt

• 3-4 cups bread flour (use your best judgment though, it might need more or less)

• 1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal

• 3 jalapeños

NOTE: You can leave out the jalapeños if you just want sweet cornbread challah. We made chili for Shabbat dinner so this was the perfect accompaniment.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Make sure to notice as soon as it is ready and then turn it off and let it cool while you prepare the dough.

2. Mix the warm water (about 110 degrees) with sugar. Add in yeast and let proof for 10 minutes. Make sure the water is not too hot because it will deactivate the yeast.

3. Mix eggs, honey, and oil in the bowl of a stand mixer.

4. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, and salt in a separate bowl.

5. Finely dice the jalapeños. Pro tip: wear gloves when you cut jalapeños. If you want the challah to have a kick, you can include the seeds. I just wanted the flavor so I left them out. I ended up using about 2 jalapeños in the challah, and then ½ of another for decoration on top.

6. Add in yeast (once it’s proofed).

7. Add flour mixture in small amounts at a time until a sticky dough consistency is formed. I don’t actually measure how much flour I use so you may need more or less. I like to keep mine a little sticky in the mixer because I knead in the rest of the dough by hand.

8. Spread some flour out on the table and knead for about 8 minutes. The dough will have a coarse texture because of the cornmeal but that is okay!

9. Spread some oil in a large bowl and flip the dough so it covers the dough.

10. 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.

11. After it rises, take it out of the bowl and knead for another 1-2 minutes.

12. Let rise in the oven for another hour and 15 minutes.

13. Once the dough has risen a second time, take it out of the oven. Knead the dough for a few minutes then roll the dough into however many strands you want your braid to be. I usually do 4 because I like my challah to expand upwards, not outwards. But 3 strands will work just as well too. The dough is enough for 1 large challah or 2 small ones.

14. Let rise for about 45-60 minutes.

15. After 40 minutes, preheat the oven to 350.

16. Melt 2-3 teaspoons of honey in the microwave. Brush the challah with a coat of honey before the egg wash. It adds a little extra sweetness and I find that it keeps the dough really moist.

17. Spread some egg wash on the dough (egg and a dash of water)-- save the remainder to reapply later.

18. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds. It’s optional but I really like the flavor and texture it adds.

19. Bake for ~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.

20. *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!

21. Let cool for 10 minutes.

22. Enjoy!