Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Gingerbread Challah

Let me give you an idea as to how my mind works.

  The other night Mr. O-P and I were watching football. At one of the breaks a commercial came on for a breakfast place. Could have been Denny's, could have been IHOP, could have been Bob Evans, I really don't know, because all I heard were the words gingerbread French toast.  All of a sudden I started to think, ooooooh that sounds tasty.  The plate of French toast in the commercial looked as if ordinary bread had been used, but I immediately started to wonder how I could turn my challah recipe (because French toast isn't French toast, good French toast anyway, unless it is made with challah) into gingerbread challah.  Gingerbread contains molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. So I decided to substitute the honey in the original recipe for molasses and add ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. I can't tell you how amazing it smelled while it was baking; when people walked into the house they commented. As luck would have it, it tasted as good as it smelled.

Here is the recipe so you can try it yourself. It's a bit denser than plain challah because molasses is heavier than honey. It is also not sweet because it contains no sugar. It is intensely flavorful, however, and makes excellent toast, cinnamon toast, and is superb when used for a turkey sandwich. Later on I'll be trying it to make French toast. I'll let you know.

Gingerbread Challah

1 pinch saffron thread
1 tablespoon water, boiling
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons molasses
2/3 cup hot water (100°F-105°F)
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups white bread flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 egg, beaten

In a small bowl, soak the saffron threads in the 1 tablespoon of boiling water for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, place the beaten eggs, molasses, hot water and melted butter in a bowl. Mix well.

Add the saffron threads with the soaking water; stir and pour the mixture into the baking pan of your bread machine.

Mix the salt and spices into the flour and add to the baking pan and sprinkle the yeast on top.  Set the program to ‘dough.’

When the dough is ready (mine takes 90 minutes), transfer it to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 2-3 minutes.

Shape the dough into a loaf and place into a greased standard loaf pan. Cover with a sheet of plastic that you have sprayed with PAM.

When the dough has nearly doubled in size (30-45 minutes), remove the plastic wrap and lightly brush the top of the loaf with the beaten egg.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and leave it to cool before serving.

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5 comments:

Linda said...

Gingerbread challah on a turkey sandwich? Yum!

I just did a search on your blog for challah bread and you've been using the same recipe since 2010? Must really be a good one. Have you ever made it without the saffron?

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

This recipe puts bakeries to shame. It has never failed to turn out beautifully. While I have never made it without saffron, I suspect it is more for color than taste.

martinealison said...

Bonjour chère amie,

Je pense que ce délicieux pain d'épice doit être succulent pour déguster le foie gras.
Merci pour le partage de votre recette.

Je vous souhaite de très joyeuses fêtes à vous et à tous ceux que vous aimez...
Avec plein de gros bisous ❄︎ ♡ ❄︎ ☃ ❄︎ ♡ ❄︎

Katherines Corner said...

another fantastic recipe my friend. Thank you for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things blog hop xo

Miz Helen said...

Thanks so much for sharing your awesome Challah with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week!
Miz Helen