When Trader Joe’s brought Everything But The Bagel seasoning onto the scene a few years back, I bet they didn’t know that it would cause the pandemonium that it has. Now other stores have knock off blends, but they’re all the same, a mix of: sesame seeds, sea salt, minced garlic, minced onion, black sesame seeds, and poppy seeds. A blend of savory flavors that I’m delighted to bring to you in a loaf of Everything But The Bagel Challah.
We aren’t Jewish, but Challah is the most requested bread I make. In fact, I already have a recipe for it here. It’s beautiful, fluffy, eggy, and soft. When I got the idea to make it deliciously oniony and top it with Everything But The Bagel seasoning, I was hopeful it would be great. Spoiler alert, it’s was marvelous!
Traditionally, challah has a sweet taste as it does contain a significant amount of sugar compared to other breads. This particular version, retains the sweetness, but introduces onion as a dominant flavor, creating a sweet onion flavor. The Everything But The Bagel Seasoning brings even more onion flavor to the soft challah, as well as a textural crunch.
Enriched Bread
Like other challah recipes, this challah is an enriched bread. “Enriched” means that the dough contains either eggs, milk, or fat. These three ingredients contribute to a high amount of fat compared to typical bread products, which have no fat.
This high proportion of fat makes for a sweet, light, almost flakey texture. Rather than create crumbs, enriched breads pull apart in strands. The most common examples being challah and brioche.
Braid it Beautiful
One of the characteristic traits of challah is that it’s braided. Some loaves are braided in rounds, others in 3,4,5,6 strand plaits. The challah in the photos is braided in a 3 strand plait, much like you would braid hair, but you can get as simple or as fancy as you want with it. It’s completely up to you. The type of plait doesn’t make it any more (or less) challah. For a great tutorial on how to braid challah check this out.
When to use Everything But The Bagel Challah
I do not recommend using this challah recipe in sweet applications like French toast or bread puddings. The onion in the recipe will likely make your sweet dishes, a bit oniony, and no one wants that!
Use this challah for BLTs or other savory sandwiches, with bread and butter, for avocado toast, grilled cheese, or as a bun replacement for burgers or hot dogs. Anything that could benefit from a boost of onion flavor.
How would you use this challah bread? Let me know in the comments.
Everything But The Bagel Challah Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cups Water between 98-110°F
- ¾ tsp Active Dry Yeast
- 1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 cup Butter melted and cooled
- 4 large Eggs reserve one
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 4¼ cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/4 cup Everything But The Bagel Seasoning
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add water, 1 Tbsp sugar, and yeast. Mix to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt, and onion powder. Whisk to combine.
- When the yeast/sugar/water is frothy, add three eggs and melted butter.
- Fit the mixer with a dough hook, and turn on low/medium speed to combine all of the wet ingredients. They don't have to be perfectly combined, but the egg yolks should break and the be mostly combined.
- Stop the mixer.
- Add the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl all at once.
- Turn the mixer on to low speed and let the dough mix for 8-10 minutes.
- After 8-10 minutes time, remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 more minutes. The dough may be slightly sticky. This is fine.
- Return the dough back to the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap, and let rise for an hour in a warm space.
- Punch down the dough.
- Re-cover the dough, and allow to rise another 30 minutes.
- Uncover and remove the dough from the bowl.
- Divide the dough into three equal pieces. You can do it by eye, or with a scale to be more precise.
- Roll each of the three pieces of dough into a "log" about 20-24 inches long.
- Perform a three strand plait, and place the loaf on a baking sheet.
- Mix together the remaining egg and 1T water.
- Brush the loaf, making sure to get into the cracks of the plait, with the egg mixture. Save the remaining egg mixture and brush! We aren't done with them yet!
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- Cover the loaf loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for another half hour while the oven preheats.
- Brush the loaf with the egg mixture again.
- Sprinkle liberally with Everything But The Bagel seasoning.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Remove loaf from oven, allow to cool for a half hour before removing from the baking sheet and moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.
