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Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of warm water
2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast (one packet) (I usually end up using about 2.5 though)
1 teaspoon sugar
4 large eggs
3.5-4 T honey (you can add more if you wanted it sweeter)
¼ cup canola oil/neutral oil
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon salt
5-7 cups bread flour (use your best judgment though, it might need more or less)
3-4 Tablespoons almond extract (you can use more or less depending on how strong of a flavor you want)
¾ cup strawberry or raspberry jelly, slightly warmed
Red, yellow, and green food coloring
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 ½ teaspoon cocoa powder
NOTES: I ended up using about 3 Tablespoons of almond extract in the dough and a teaspoon in the chocolate glaze. You can always add more or less but you should add it in increments with the flour so it gets evenly dispersed. Use your best judgment because it can be quite overpowering. If you have a stronger extract, you should use less. My extract is a bit weak so I added just enough so that I can slightly smell it in the dough. After it baked, the smell completely faded so I added some in the chocolate drizzle.
Directions:
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.
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.
Mix 1 ¼ lukewarm water, eggs, honey, oil, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer
Add in yeast (once it’s proofed).
Add flour and extract 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 than 5-7 cups. I like to keep mine a little sticky in the mixer because I knead in the rest of the dough by hand.
Spread some flour out on the table and 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 then divide the dough into 3, or 6, equal sections depending on the challah size you want. The dough is enough for 1 large challah or 2 small-medium size ones.
Add one of the food colorings to each dough section until well incorporated. I used about 2 teaspoons but if you want a richer color, add more.
Once you have a red, yellow, and green section, roll them out into ¼ inch thick rectangles.
Slightly warm up jelly. You don’t want it to melt, just soften so that it is easier to spread.
Take about ⅓ of the jelly and spread an even coat on each section.
Roll each section up into long strands.
Braid.
Let rise for about 45-60 minutes.
After 40 minutes, preheat the oven to 350.
Bake for ~35 minutes for 2 challahs, ~45 minutes for 1 challah.* Once again, use your best judgment, it might need more or less time.
*Halfway through, take challah out and apply a VERY THIN layer of water. This is a technique used for making french bread (e.g. baguettes), it ensures a nice crispy outside. Then turn the pan around in the oven so that it cooks evenly on both sides!
Cool completely.
Sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar to make sure there are no clumps. Add in 1 teaspoon of almond extract and a dash of water (about 1 ½ teaspoon) to make a thick glaze.
Once the challah is completely cool, you can either drizzle on the chocolate glaze on the whole challah or on each piece individually. This step is optional, but it gives you the traditional flavor combination of a rainbow cookie. If you decide to drizzle it on top of the challah, be careful putting it away. I made a bit of a mess trying to bag it after dinner.
Enjoy!
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