Challah with herbs and confit garlic

I learned this challah from Erez Komarovsky's class on YesChef — his approach to braiding is more forgiving than the usual instructions, and the dough comes together fast. I stuff one loaf with pecorino and garlic confit, the other with whatever fresh herbs are growing on the porch. Both disappear by the end of dinner.

Ingredients

• 70 g natural cane sugar
• 20 g salt
• 3 eggs (1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks)
• 170 g unrefined sunflower oil
• 1/2 liter cold water
• 15 g active dry yeast
• 1000 g unbleached white flouror bread flour

Directions

1. Mix water with yeast and sugar. Allow to activate - just 10 min or so.
2. Add flour, oil, and egg yolks to the stand mixer. Mix on low speed just to incorporate a bit.
3. Add the yeast mixture and mix on low speed for about 8 minutes using a paddle attachment.
4. Add salt, and flour as needed, and keep kneading at a higher speed until the desired consistency is achieved.
5. Pour some sunflower oil into a large bowl and place dough in the bowl.
6. Fold the dough inwards as you rotate it to coat the entire dough.
7. Flip it over so the smooth side is facing up.
8. Loosely cover your bowl with a plastic bag and let it rise for 45 minutes.
9. After 45 minutes, uncover the bowl and remove dough to a lightly dusted surface.
10. Fold the dough once: from the left, right, back and front, flip and place back in the same bowl.
11. Cover again with the bag and let rise another 45 minutes.
12. Repeat this last step once more after 45 minutes.
13. After about a total of 2 hours, uncover the bowl, and remove dough to a lightly dusted surface.
14. Divide the dough in half, and then each half into three, so you have 6 logs of around the same size.
15. Stuff each log with desired toppings (I used pecorino cheese and garlic confit in one, and fresh herbs and flowers from my garden tucked into the braids on the other.
16. Mold into log shapes, dust with more flour, cover with the same bag. There are many videos on how to braid, but just remember to “bring the outside in”.
17. Let them rest for 30 minutes on the prepared sheet tray.
18. Baste the dough with egg wash.
19. Spray water in the oven to create some humidity and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F.
20. Recipe: EREZ KOMAROVSKY from YesChef

From our kitchen to yours.