Cinnamon Challah Twists

My kids have been asking me to make these again....they don't last long in our household.  Plus, a few people have asked me to post the recipe so I figured this was a good opportunity.  I had taken a recipe from a friend's blog, What Melissa's Making, and modified it to this recipe.  The original that Melissa posted you can find here which is absolutely delicious.  I used milk chocolate chips instead of the semi sweet.  For this version, I just changed the filling and added a glaze to the top.  Simply a different option.

Challah Dough:

Wisk together:

1 large egg
1 large egg yolk (*Save the egg white for later*)
3 Tbsp sugar
1 1/4 cup lukewarm water

In mixer with dough hook attachment combine:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Add wet ingredients to dry and allow to knead for approximately 5 minutes until smooth.  Using my kitchen aid mixer, I knead the dough on speed 2 and the dough hook.

Let the dough rest for 20 minutes in the mixer.

Add an additional 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour and knead for approximately an additional 5 minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl and is smooth.

Turn the dough into a greased bowl and turn so that the top of the dough is greased.  Cover the bowl with a dry towel and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.  I use the bread proof setting on my oven.  You can also allow this to rise in the refrigerator overnight as well.

While dough is rising.  Continue to make the filling:

Filling:

Combine in mixer until all the butter is combined:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 stick of unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

Forming the twists:

After 1 hour of rise time, the dough should look like the picture above.  Next, deflate the dough on a floured surface and roll to approximately an 8x11 rectangle.  Spread the filling over the entire rectangle from edge to edge and pat down.  Fold the top of the dough down to the center, fold the bottom up, and the sides over....like you are making an envelope.  Pat the dough to seal the edges.

Cut the dough into 15-16 slices.

Take each slice, twist 2-3 times, and place it in a greased pan (with sides).  FYI...For the Chocolate Challah version I used a cookie sheet, but the filling for this recipe tends to leak out more and you will end up with a mess if you place it on a cookie sheet without sides.

Once all of the twists are formed, brush them with the egg white (beaten slightly) that you have saved.  Then, cover them and allowing them to rise for an additional 45 minutes. 

Coat the twists with an additional coat of the egg white wash, and place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Then, drop the temperature to 350 degrees for approximately 12 minutes.

Remove the twists to a cooling rack immediately.

Glaze:

Combine in a bowl with a wisk until smooth:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 Tbsp milk

Using a spoon, drizzle the glaze over the top of the twists.  These are terrific warm.  But, they also warm up nicely in the microwave.  Either way, they disappear quickly in my house!!