Challah Bread… What on earth is that?
Not many people (in Singapore at least) would have heard of Challah Bread. Sure, we’re pretty up-to-date, we know about Foccacias, Baguettes and even their sweeter counterparts like Brioche. But their humble cousin, Challah Bread is rarely given any time in the limelight.
For those of you who don’t know, Challah Bread is a traditional egg bread made for the Jewish Sabbath, and it is braided before it is baked, so that you get a pretty braided loaf to tuck into!
I added a little surprise to mine… a packet of Milo Nuggets!
Reason being, my father has this weird childhood habit of cracking an egg into a hot cup of milo. After which he gives it a good stir, to ensure the egg is cooked through, before he proceeds to slurp it up. ‘Full of nutrition!’ he proudly proclaims, as he offers me a sip of his wacky concoction. Apparently many people used to have this for breakfast in the 1960s.
While I may never taste the goodness of a raw egg stirred into a cuppa milo, I’m more than willing to combine the two unlikely ingredients in another form.
*Cue Challah Bread with Milo Nuggets*
Since this bread is an egg bread, when paired with Milo nuggets, you’ve got the same idea, just in a more appetizing form! So dear daddy, this one is for you.
RECIPE:
Ingredients:
95ml water
1 egg + 1/2 a beaten egg
1.5 Tbsp butter, diced
1/2 tsp salt (My apologies for the error in the picture!)
1.5 cups bread flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp Bread Machine Yeast
1 packet Milo Nuggets
Procedure:
1) Add all the ingredients (just ONE egg) into the bread machine as shown.
Remember the yeast goes in on top!
2) Set the menu accordingly:
Menu No. 9 (To make bread dough only)
Time (it will automatically be set to 1 hour)
3) When the bread machine beeps, press stop.
4) Take out the dough, and place it on a lightly floured surface. If your dough is too runny, mix in a little more flour until it is easy to handle.
5) Form 3 rolls of the same length as shown. Place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
6) Meanwhile, open up the Milo Nuggets and pour them out so they are easy to reach.
7) Braid the 3 rolls as shown, inserting milo nuggets as you go along. Leave to rest for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius.
8) Brush the top of the braid with 1/2 a beaten egg. Alternatively you could just use one egg yolk.
9) Place it to bake in the oven at 190 degrees celsius/350 F for 28-30 minutes until the top is nice and brown.
WELL THERE YOU HAVE IT! Your beautiful Challah bread stuffed with Milo Nuggets is ready. 
As tempting as it is to tear of a glorious chunk of Challah to stuff into your mouth, hold off for just a bit, and let it cool on a wire rack. You don’t want soggy bottoms do you?
I confess, this does taste heavenly fresh out of the oven, but I did suffer for my impatience (Hello burnt fingers)
Don’t worry too much about the milo nuggets peeking out on the top, they add some colour (and a lot of chocolatey flavour) to the Challah Bread.
As you can see, even though the ‘before’ picture didn’t look very appetizing, after baking for 30 minutes, you get this bronzed beauty, so no worries!
As for the milo nuggets that managed to stay hidden, it’s time for them to say hello!
Not only do these chocolatey nuggets make this kid-friendly, they make a delicious pair with the eggy taste in the Challah. See, dad, now this is how you share a piece of tradition with your kids.
“Hang on a second! I can’t possibly make this, I’m only an amateur baker. “
I hear you, my friends. But really, a bread machine saves you all the trouble and mess from kneading, you get to skip to the fun of shaping the bread!
I’m sure many of you are pretty happy to hear that the Panasonic Bread Maker is able to make bread dough huh? It allows for so much versatility and creativity since you’re not restricted to a mere loaf of bread. I know I was 🙂
Ah yes, on a final note, if you need some ideas, this Challah Bread would be delicious for breakfast slathered with some Nutella (for the kids) or even dipped in milo like in the old days (for the adults).
A simple but delicious edible canvas for the whole family. Who would’ve thought that there was a funny story behind this?
Thanks dad, you’re my inspiration. (Well you were, for this recipe at least haha) Love you.
Foogo! 
