Vegan Maple Fig Rosemary Challah

This article was written for .alma magazine

I used to be afraid of baking, especially bread baking. I distanced myself from any recipe that required yeast or kneading. The idea that baking is a science, only accessible to those with the innate ability to understand that science and its nuances, discouraged me. I was never very good at science. But as someone that loves Jewish food, I knew I wanted to learn how to make homemade challah. The moment after I made my first challah I wondered: “What took me so long?”

Once I got into challah-baking I couldn’t stop. To my surprise, challah isn’t all that hard to make, the dough is very forgiving, and it comes together relatively quickly. There’s no three-day proofing required. I tried countless recipes, and decided I needed to develop one that would make my own ideal loaf. I like my challah with a little chew, not too yeast-flavored, not too sweet. Once I got a basic recipe down, it was easy to start playing around with flavors and ingredients.

During the High Holy days, when entertaining and round challahs abound, this recipe offers a celebratory animal-friendly offering. I love being able to make dishes that any guest at my table can eat, and it’s great to have an option for folks with plant-based diets. Vegan challah is as easy to make as egg-based challah, and tastes just as good. In these loaves, the maple replaces honey, and the fig and rosemary bring extra sweetness and fall flavor into the mix. If you’re not feeling fig and rosemary, you can easily skip out on either or both and still make a delicious vegan loaf.

If you’ve ever been curious about baking challah, Rosh Hashanah is a great time to give it a go.  I can safely predict that your friends and family will be very happy you did.

Vegan Maple Fig Rosemary Challah

Makes 2 loaves

Dough:

2 cups warm water (between 105°F-110°F, warm but not too hot to the touch)

4½ teaspoons (2 packets) active dry yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

⅓ cup oil (olive, canola, sunflower)

¼ cup maple syrup (Grade B or Grade A dark amber)

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Egg replacer mixture (see below)

7½ cups (1185 g) bread flour, plus more for dusting and as needed

⅓ cup fig preserves or jam

⅓ cup roughly chopped rosemary, plus more for garnish

Egg replacer:

½ cup warm water

½ cup oil

2 tablespoons aluminum free baking powder

Vegan egg wash:

¼ cup unsweetened almond or soy milk

1 tablespoon oil

2 teaspoons maple syrup

Start by adding the yeast and sugar to warm water. Stir, and then allow the yeast to activate for 5 minutes or until it looks thick and foamy at the top. If your yeast remains in clumps then it is not properly activated.

In a small bowl combine the oil, maple syrup and salt. Reserve.

In a separate small bowl, make the egg replacer mixture by combining the water, oil, and baking powder. The baking powder will cause the mixture to fizz.

Once the yeast is activated, add the flour to a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour. Add the maple syrup mixture and the egg replacer mixture to the well. Add the activated yeast with warm water to the well. Begin to combine everything together, it is easiest to use your hands. Once the mixture forms a ball, begin to knead the dough.

Knead until the dough is mostly smooth and elastic, and doesn’t stick to your hands, about 5-7 minutes (and if it’s not perfectly smooth, don’t worry, it will still work out). If you find the dough is too sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time until the dough doesn’t excessively stick to your hands as you knead. The amount of flour that is needed can often depend on the weather, temperature, and the brand of flour. 

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil, and then place the dough in the greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp clean kitchen towel, and allow the dough to rise in a warm (not drafty) part of the kitchen for at least 1 hour or until the dough has about doubled in size. The rate at which the dough rises will depend on the temperature of the kitchen.

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Lightly dust your work surface with flour, and transfer the dough onto it. Divide the dough into two. Transfer half the dough back to the bowl and cover while you’re braiding the first round of challah. For the High Holidays it’s traditional to make round challahs, but the shape and number of strands is up to you. I like to do a 4-strand round challah, and this demo video from Challah Hub is very helpful!

Divide the dough into 4 evenish-sized pieces, and form and roll each piece out so that it is about 12”-14” long. Take one piece and flatten it out a little so that it is a long rectangular shape. Spread 2 teaspoons of the fig preserves in an even thin layer over the dough. Sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons of chopped rosemary. Press the sides together to seal the fig and rosemary inside the dough. It can be a little messy or imperfect. Finally, roll the sealed dough into a rope shape. Repeat with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.

Braid the challah into a round. Place the challah on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a very lightly damp towel. Repeat the braiding process for the second half of the dough. Allow the covered braided loaves to rise for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a small dish, combine the almond milk, maple syrup, and oil. Brush each loaf of challah with the wash. Bake the challah loaves for 30-40 minutes, or until the challah is a deep golden brown - exact timing will depend on the size of your challah and your oven. Once baked and still hot, brush a second time with the wash mixture. Transfer to a rack and allow to cool.

Extra challah can be frozen, defrosted and reheated. 

Savory Hamantaschen - Leek, Fig and Cambozola

Hamantaschen. Triangular. Filled with stuff. Made for Purim. Meant to resemble Book of Esther’s Haman. Also maybe meant to resemble aforementioned defeated enemy’s ears (in Israel Hamantaschen are called “Oznei Haman” - translation from Hebrew: Haman’s ears). Whatever they are, they are defined by their shape. There are endless variations on their dough, their size, their flavors, and their fillings.

This year, like many other years, I continue to explore the possibilities of what Hamantaschen can be. I experiment with the dough. Egg or no egg? Butter or margarine? Sweet or savory? Traditional fillings or crazy fillings? I'm still seeking my perfect version of a sweet, not-too floury dough (this one comes close), but I am increasingly happy to eat a pastry that is a little more savory. While it has a note of sweetness, this hamantaschen is more appetizer than dessert. The dough is the same used in flaky pie dough or crostatas, the filing has leeks, fig preserves and Cambazola cheese. The result is salty, sweet, and rich.

As a cautionary note, the impulse may be to fill these generously with your filling; exert restraint, it will seem like too little but any more will cause the cookie to overflow or taste too filling-heavy. Another cautionary note, make sure to really pinch shut the edges of each hamantaschen. These tricky guys like to unravel in the oven any chance they get.

Savory Leek, Fig, and Cambozola Hamantaschen

Makes approximately 20

for the dough-

2½ cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), cold

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, cold

6-8 tablespoons ice cold water

1 egg, beaten for the egg wash

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

for the filling-

2 large leeks, diced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼-½ teaspoon fig preserves per hamantaschen

½ teaspoon Cambozola or creamy blue cheese per hamantaschen

for the dough-

In a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few times. Add the cold cubed butter. Pulse until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbs of butter and flour. (If doing by hand, using a pastry cutter combine the dry ingredients with the butter until pea-sized balls form).

To the food processor add the apple cider vinegar, and the ice water a few tablespoons at a time. Pulse until the mixture comes together in a ball. If the dough doesn’t stick together easily between your fingers, add another tablespoon of water. When it is done, the dough will be slightly crumbly but will easily form into a ball. Form the finished dough into a flattened disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerated for 2-3 hours or overnight.

for the filling-

Clean and dice the leeks. To a skillet over medium low heat, add the butter. Add the leeks to the pan and season them with salt. Sauté until the leeks are soft and starting to caramelize (turning golden but not crispy and browned), about 10-15 minutes

to assemble your hamantaschen-

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Flour your surface and rolling pin lightly. Roll out the dough until about ¼-inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit, cookie cutter, or even a drinking glass, cut out rounds from the dough. Fill each round with ½ a teaspoon of the leek mixture, ½ a teaspoon of fig preserves, and ½ a teaspoon of cambozola blue cheese. Fold over one third of the round onto the filling, fold over a second third, and fold over the last third. With each third, gently pinch and seal the edges of the dough firmly together, forming a well-secured triangle-shaped pastry. Transfer the hamantaschen onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Make sure there is at least an inch between each pastry. You can re-roll the remaining dough and form more hamantaschen.

In a small dish, beat an egg. With a pastry brush, brush the top of the dough with the egg wash. Top with freshly ground black pepper if desired.

Bake the hamantaschen for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown.

Once baked, transfer to a rack to fully cool. Serve at room temperature. The hamantaschen can be stored in an air-tight container for several days, if they last that long.