Vegan Challah Bread

In a large bowl, whisk together all purpose flour (4.5 cups), vegan cane sugar (0.25 cup), instant yeast (2.25 tsp), and salt (1.25 tsp). Set bowl aside. In a second bowl, add mashed sweet potato (0.5 cup), vegan butter (0.25 cup) and water (1.5 cups). Whisk together until combined.

With the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or a wooden spatula, add about a quarter of the dry mixture into the wet mixture until no dry mixture remains. Then, add another quarter of the mixture and stir again. Next, switch to a dough hook and add half the remaining dry mix in until no dry mixture remains and then add the remaining dry mix. Knead for 8-10 minutes or until it doesn't stick to the bowl. The dough will pull away, still slightly sticky but not sticking to your hands. Start 10m timer

Spray a bowl, form the dough into a ball and place inside. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 60-90 minutes in a warm, draft free place until doubled. Punch it down. Let rise again for 40-60 minutes until doubled in size again.

Uncover, punch down again and remove dough from the bowl. Cut dough into 6 equal pieces – using a scale if possible. See notes in the full blog post if you would rather do a 3 strand braid instead of 6.

Roll each section into a 16 inch log, tapering the ends (making them smaller). Lay all 6 logs in front of you vertically.

At the top, pinch 3 logs together and then pinch together the remaining 3. Then pinch the two sections together (see video for visual guidance).

Think of each strand as a number from left (1) to right (6). Cross the two outer strands (1 and 6). Move strand 1 to the middle, crossing over strands 2 and 3. Cross strand 5 over 4, 3, 2, 1 to be on the far left. Then cross strand 6 over 5 and 4 to be in the middle. Finally cross strand 2, over 3, 4, 5, and 6 to be on the far right. Repeat this pattern until you reach the bottom of your bread.

Pinch the ends and tuck them underneath the bread on both ends. Lay braided bread on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover for 35-40 minutes to allow to rise.

15 minutes before the final rise is done, preheat oven to 375˚F. Make the simple syrup by adding maple syrup (2 tbsp) and plant based milk (2 tbsp) to a bowl and whisk. Once ready, brush the dough with half the simple syrup mixture.

Bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with remaining simple syrup mixture and let cool completely before slicing. Start 40m timer