Vegan Cinnamon Challah Bread

To make tangzhong

In a saucepan, whisk 1 cup of bread flour and 1 1/2 cup of water until well combined. Cook on low heat with constant stirring for 3 minutes or until mixture is thickened.

Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent it from drying out and let it cool down to room temperature.

Bread dough

In a large mixing bowl, add 4 cups bread flour, 2/3 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp vanilla extract and 2 tbsp unsweetened maple syrup. Beat on low speed for 2 minutes or until mixture form into a dry dough ball. You might need to use your hands to help with incorporating the dough.

Add the remaining 2 cups of bread flour, room temperature tangzhong and 1 tsp of salt, beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth.

Lastly, add 2/3 cup of vegetable oil and beat on high speed for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Perform a window pane test.

Cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest at a warm place until doubled in size about 1 hour.

Lightly flour your finger tip and poke a hole in the center of the dough. If the hole remain and doesn’t spring back, it is ready to go.

Transfer dough to the work station, punch down dough to let air bubbles out. Cut the dough in half and place one portion back into the mixing bowl with plastic wrap on to prevent it from drying out.

Roll out the first half of the dough into a rope and divide it into 8 equal portions. Roll each dough into a dough ball. Take one dough ball and use a roller to flatten it into a long strip, make 4 at a time.

Fill cinnamon sugar at the center of the long strip all the way. Pinch and seal the dough fills with cinnamon and roll it back into a rope. Repeat until you have 8 ropes/ strands.

Place 4 strands parallel to each other. At one end, pinch the tip of the strands tightly so they stick together. Braid the dough all the way through and seal the end by pinch them together and tuck underneath. Place the braided dough on a baking sheet and bend it into a moon shape. Repeat the remaining 4 strands to make the second braided dough.

Place it on the baking sheet together with the first dough and pinch both edges together to make it into a heart shape. – Cover with plastic wrap and let’s rest at warm place for another hour or almost doubled in size. Preheat your oven at 180°C around 30 minutes mark.

Repeat the second set of dough to make a heart shape dough or 2 standard braided dough as desired. You can also reduce the recipe in half to make a heart shaped challah instead of 2.

After an hour, check the dough by gently poke it with your finger, if it spring back slowly and leave a small indentation, they are really to bake.

Lightly brush the challah with maple syrup glaze (1 tbsp maple syrup + 1 tsbp water) , sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, sesame seeds or poppy seeds and bake at the preheated oven at 180 °C for 30-35 minutes. Turn half way through so both side of the bread bake evenly.

Transfer bread onto a cooling rack to cool down to room temperature. Slice and enjoy!