5 Braid Chocolate Challah

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (750ml) Warm Water, divided
• 3 Large Eggs + 2 Egg Yolks, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (170g) White Liquid Honey
• 4 tsp Instant Yeast, divided
• 1/2 cup (118ml) Vegetable Oil, divided
• 8 cups (1kg) All-Purpose Flour, divided
• 3 tsp Salt, divided

Chocolate Bread:

• 2 tbsp Black Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 cup (80g) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Directions:

1. Into a large bowl add 2 1/2 cups warm water, eggs and yolks and honey. Whisk until fully mixed.
2. Equally separate liquid into 2 bowls. Into each bowl add 2 tsp yeast and 1/4 cup oil.
3. In one of the bowls, gradually add 4 cups of flour and 1 1/2 tsp salt. Mix mixture with your hands to remove any lumps. Knead until smooth (approximately 10 minutes).
4. In the second bowl add 1/2 cup warm water, salt, black cocoa and chocolate chips. Mix mixture with your hands. Gradually add 4 cups of flour and work out any lumps. Knead until smooth. This dough will feel slightly tougher than the previous dough.
5. Lightly oil your bowls and place the kneaded dough balls into the prepped bowls. Lightly coat both dough balls with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Place a damp tea towel on top and place in a warm place. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size.
6. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down to release any additional air.
7. Cut each ball of dough in half. Half of the chocolate dough and half of the original dough will make up 1 loaf.
8. Create a total of 5 rolled out strands of dough for each loaf.
9. Place 5 strands vertically in front of you, alternating colors.
10. At the top end bring all 5 strands together to form a point. Pinch the ends and twist a little to ensure they are stuck together.
11. Separate the strands into two groups (a group of 2 and a group of 3).
12. Keep the 3 strands of dough on your left side.
13. Take the outside strand from the left and place it on the inside, next to the 2 strands on the right.
14. Take the outside strand from the right and place it on the inside of the 2 strands on the left. Continue this braiding method until you've used up dough.
15. Pinch all the strands together at the end and tuck underneath.
16. Straighten the loaf and place on a lightly oiled parchment lined baking sheet.
17. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 egg, 1 tbsp honey, and 1 tbsp water.
18. Brush loaves with egg wash. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and a damp tea towel.
19. Allow loaves to rise until doubled in size.
20. Preheat oven to 350°C.
21. Coat loaves with another layer of egg wash before placing in the oven.
22. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the loaf has am even golden-brown colour.
23. Remove from the bake and allow bread to fully cool before slicing.
24. Serve with butter.

Note:

• Store bread in a bread bag on the counter for 2-3 days or in the freezer (in a freezer bag) for up to 1 month.
• When turning dough out onto the counter to knead, start by only using the amount of flour called for in the recipe. Avoid adding too much additional flour, which may result in a dry or dense bread.
• Bread Flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour. Bread flour has more protein and will develop gluten more effectively.
• When braiding, don't stretch the strands. This will cause bread to be thin at one end and thick on the opposite end.
• Make sure to allow bread to rise long enough to avoid a dense loaf. Dough should be springy to the touch prior to baking.

Prep Time: 3 Hours 35 Minutes
Bake Time: 25 Minutes
Total Time: 4 Hours
Yield: 2 Large Loaves or 4 Small Loaves