This tahini swirl challah is a sesame-lover's dream. Perfect for a sweet Rosh Hashanah celebration or for whenever the mood strikes. I suggest toasting thick slabs of this bread and drizzling it with honey.
If you'd like to braid the loaf rather than make a coiled loaf, simply divide the dough in thirds or fourths, roll each piece out into a long rectangle, spread with the tahini mixture and roll up. Pinch the seams well, let them rest for a few minutes and then braid as desired.
All ounce measurements are for weight and not volume.
17ozall purpose flour(I use King Arthur. If you use a different brand with a lower protein content, you may have to reduce the amount of water by 1/2 oz or so)
2teaspoonsactive dry yeast
For the Swirl
¾cuptahini
¾cupgranulated sugar
To Finish
1egg, well beaten
white sesame seeds for sprinkling
Instructions
For the Dough
In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together the water, honey, tahini, oil, eggs and salt.
Add all the flour on top of this mixture and then top with the yeast.
Attach the dough hook and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. It may seem a little wet, but just give it some time.
Once there is no more loose flour in the bowl, increase the speed to medium low and knead for 7 minutes. Do not add any flour yet. Be patient.
Look in the bowl with the mixer on. There should be no dough sticking to the sides of the bowl. There may be a spot in the very bottom of the bowl, maybe 1 1/2" in diameter where the dough is sticking. If that's what you see, you're good. Feel the dough. If it is soft but not sticky, you're good.
Only if the dough feels a little dry or is not sticking in the bottom of the bowl even a little bit, add another tablespoon of water. If the dough is sticking in the bottom of the bowl more than in a small circle, add a tablespoon of flour. Don't do any more than that. Take a deep breath and trust that all will be well.
Whether or not you needed to add water or flour (I have given you the measurements that made perfect dough for me. You may have to adjust by a tiny bit), let the dough knead for another 5-7 minutes until it is smooth and when you pull on a piece of it, it stretches out farther than you think it should be able to. The dough will feel a tiny bit grainy because of the tahini. Otherwise, it will be smooth and gorgeous.
Form the dough into a ball, and oil the top of the ball. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.(To make a "warm place," I boil water in the microwave and then move the mug of hot water to the back corner before shoving the bowl inside and shutting the door.)
(Optional Second Rise: Once the dough has risen, press out all the gases, give it a couple of kneads by hand to redistribute the yeast, then reform into a ball. Oil it a bit then cover again and let rise in a warm place until doubled again. This time should only take about 1 1/2 hours or so.)
Press out the gases and then roll out the dough into a rectangle about 20-24" long and maybe 8" wide.
Evenly spread the tahini mixture onto the dough, leaving about 1" of space on one long end and 1/2" on the sides.
Starting from a long end, roll the dough up into a cylinder and pinch the seam really well to seal.
Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rest for about 10 minutes.
Roll the dough cylinder gently to lengthen it to between 28"-30" long. Letting the dough rest will make it easier to do this. Again, cover and let rest for about 5 minutes before coiling it up, seam side down. Tuck the end of the dough under the coil. Cover and--you guessed it--let rest for another 5-10 minutes.
Roll fairly gently with a rolling pin to flatten the coil just a bit. Place the coiled dough on a piece of parchment paper. Oil the top, cover it and let rise in a warm place until puffy, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F. If you have a baking stone, place it on the middle rack and let it get good and hot. Preheat the oven for at least 45 minutes before baking.
When the dough is puffy, brush it very well with the beaten egg (twice to get a very dark and shiny crust) and sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds.
Slide the seeded dough, parchment and all, onto the baking stone. Bake for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, it should be a very deep, nutty brown.
Tent the bread with foil and continue baking for another 20 minutes or so, or until the internal temperature is 195F-200F.
Let cool on a rack until at least warm. Don't slice it hot, though, or you'll end up with a gooey mess.