The Great Jewish Bake Off: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Challah

By Rachel Kassman

Makes 2 loaves. Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart’s Pumpkin Challah.

Dough Ingredients

2.5 teaspoons dry yeast

1 cup warm water

¾ cup egg yolks (9 – 12 extra large eggs)

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)

1 tablespoon salt

¼ cup honey

1 -2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon allspice

12 oz miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips (or more!)

8-9 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 egg for glaze

1. Activate the yeast – sprinkle yeast over ½ cup of warm water. Stir gently to combine and let sit until foamy (about 10 minutes).

2. In a large bowl, combine egg yolks with the other ½ cup of warm water.

3. Using a large wooden spoon or an electric mixer with a dough-hook, add your salt, oil, honey, pumpkin, cinnamon, and allspice, mixing until fully combined. Add the yeast and mix again until combined.

4. Add flour to mixture 1 cup at a time until you have added 8 cups. Once all the flour is incorporated, remove your dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly-floured work surface.

5. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and not sticky, adding up to an additional cup of flour as necessary. As you are kneading, add in your miniature chocolate chips by the handful until the dough looks sufficiently chipped for your preference!

6. Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

7. Once the dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl and punch down the dough. Separate into 2 equal pieces and shape into your preferred loaf shape.

8. Place the loaves on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat, cover them with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise until once again doubled in size, about 1 hour.

9. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

10. Once the dough has doubled in size, remove the towel. Mix 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water and then brush over your loaves.

11. Bake until the loaves are golden brown, about 50 minutes. Test for doneness by knocking on the bottom of your loaves – they should sound hollow!

12. Let cool on racks completely before serving with schmeer.

Schmeer Ingredients

8 oz full fat cream cheese

2-4 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Steps

1. Let cream cheese soften for 30 minutes.

2. Mix (by hand or using an electric mixer) the cream cheese, honey, and cinnamon. Adjust both honey and cinnamon to your preference.