Challah bread is one of the most delicious breads out there. I’m not Jewish, but I worked at a Jewish elementary school once. I fell in love with challah there. We ate it every Friday, but it’s also a bread that is eaten during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. This sweet potato challah is a yummy twist on the classic sweet challah bread recipe.
How to make Sweet Potato Challah:
Combine yeast, sugar and warm water. Wait for it to become foamy. Then mix in sugar, butter, salt and eggs. Flour is stirred in with mashed sweet potato and fresh ginger. The dough is kneaded gently by hand for 2 to 3 minutes on a floured board. At this point, the dough will be smooth and soft. It’s shaped into a ball and given a (covered) rising time of about one hour (until doubled in size).
How to create a warm rising place for homemade bread:
Sometimes your house isn’t quite the right temperature for allowing for bread to rise in a warm place. Use your oven! Turn the light on in your oven, and set the temperature for 400 degrees. Let it warm up for about 30 seconds– then turn it off! Then your oven will be a nice, warm place to use for letting your sweet potato challlah to rise. Just make sure you turn off the oven!!
Punch down the risen dough, and divide it in half. Divide each half into three equal parts. Roll out each part into an 8-inch log. Pinch each of the three pieces together at their tips and braid them to create the challah; then pinch the combined ends together. Repeat the process with the other dough half. Cover the loaves loosely with a clean dishtowel and let them rise to almost double in bulk (again, in a warm place). Beat the remaining egg lightly, by hand and brush the challah tops with it. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake 40 to 45 minutes.
This bread is so good that it may certainly be eaten on its own. Toast it, make challah french toast with it, and be sure to make some potato latkes too. Enjoy!
