I have shared before that before I began baking with Valerie (she truly taught me everything I know if the baking and pastry realm) I was terrified of batter, dough, bread, crust, and the like. COOKING was my thing – no chemistry involved, no measuring – just sense and feel.
Well, over the years I’ve developed that same sense and feel with my baking apron on and I believe I may have grown to love the flour filled mess my breads, batters, and crusts create even more than the sauces, stir-fry, and meals I concoct!
I had not yet delved into the world of challah bread, though, until now.
Challah is a yeast bread that is enriched with eggs, similar to brioche. The biggest difference between the a challah bread dough and brioche dough is that brioche contains lot of butter while challah contains oil.
But, with two of my favorite contrasting flavors (yes, something always unique) literally STICKING together in the form of a confiture “jam,” fig spread and Kalamata olives, I added some fresh rosemary, olive oil, and plenty of crunch salt to create the most amazing and beautiful braided and bundled bread yet: Salted Fig & Olive Confiture Challah.
Sliced and served with thinly sliced capocollo, baby spinach, and crumbled feta, we get a pretty amazing gourmet sandwich as well!
Salted Fig & Olive Confiture Challah
Challah Bread:
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
1/4 cup + 1 tsp. raw sugar
2/3 cup luke warm water
1/3 cup olive oil, + more for the bowl
2 large eggs
2 tsp. flaky sea salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
Whisk the yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in warm water, and let bloom for several minutes, until foamy. In a large mixer bowl, combine the yeast mixture with remaining sugar, olive oil, and eggs. Add the salt and flour, and mix until dough begins to hold together. Run at low speed for 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to an olive-oil coated bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside for 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.
Meanwhile, prepare the Fig & Olive Confiture.
Fig & Olive Confiture:
1 cup Fig Spread
2/3 cup Kalamata olives, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, finely diced
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 large egg, beaten
CONFITURE: a preparation of preserved fruit.
Whisk together all ingredients, minus the cheese and egg, until well combined.
After the dough has risen, turn out onto a floured counter or parchment paper and divide in half. Roll the first half of the dough into a wide and totally imperfect rectangle. Spread half the fig & olive filling evenly over the dough, stopping short of the edge. Roll the dough into a long, tight log, trapping the filling within. Then gently stretch the log as wide as feels comfortable and cut in half. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
Arrange two ropes in each direction, perpendicular to each other, like a tight tic-tac-toe board. Weave them so that one side is over, and the other is under, where they meet. Take the four legs that come from underneath the center and move the leg to their right. Do your best to form a braided and bounded round – my lengths were too fat and full for anything super special.
Transfer the dough to a parchment lined baking sheet or cake pan. Beat egg until smooth, and brush over challah. Let challah rise for another hour, but 45 minutes into this rise.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Before baking in the super hot oven, brush the loaf one more time with egg wash and sprinkle with sea salt and 2 Tbs. feta. Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until beautifully bronzed. Turn off the oven and bake for an additional 10-20 minutes.
Cool loaf on a rack before serving, topped with additional feta cheese and fresh rosemary.
Good luck with that! 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂
Or, slice and serve as a gorgeous gourmet sammy filled with more feta, fresh spinach and capocollo.
