Challah Bread stuffed with Spinach Cakes and Ricotta
Upgrade your weekly Challah Bread with Dr. Praeger’s Spinach Cakes and Ricotta.
Ingredients
Challah:
- ¾ cup warm water (110 degrees F, warm bathwater temperature)
- 1 package Instant yeast
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- ¼ cup olive or avocado oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Filling:
- 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 4 Dr. Praeger’s spinach cakes, cooked according to package directions
- 1 ½ teaspoons oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted in a dry frying pan
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Garnish:
- 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
- 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
Directions
Serves: 8
Cook Time: 2 hours
- Prepare challah dough first. Add warm water to a large bowl. Sprinkle in yeast and stir to combine. Let sit 10 minutes to activate. Add eggs, sugar, and oil. Whisk well to combine. Begin to add all-purpose flour ½ cup at a time, stirring to combine. Mix together until dough is slightly sticky. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead dough until it is smooth and uniform for about 5 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour in a warm space, or until dough has doubled in size.
- Cook Dr. Praeger’s spinach cakes according to package directions. Remove from oven and let slightly cool. Cut spinach cakes into quarters.
- To a medium bowl combine chopped spinach, spices, garlic, pine nuts, ricotta cheese, and flour. Mix to combine. Fold in spinach cakes. Cover filling and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare the challah: separate dough into 3 even sections. For each section, roll out dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface into a 12×6-inch rectangle. Spread 1/3 filling moderately on the dough. Starting at one long end, tightly roll dough and transfer to parchment paper lined baking tray, seam-side down. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough and filling. Carefully braid together the 3 pieces of dough. Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for an additional 20-30 minutes.
- Brush loaf with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until challah is golden brown and slightly puffy.
- Slice and enjoy!