stuffed challah

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Vegan Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Challah

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If you have not noticed my affection for challah bread by now, then let me reiterate that I LOVE challah, LOVE IT!!!

I used to bake and sell challah each week actually, until I started this site and life got too busy.

I have t-shirts expressing my challah love, socks too. Challah at ya! Challah y’all! Challah day, celebrate! I ain’t no challah back girl. I could go on and on with my challah puns.

I love it start to finish, dough to bread. I love the act of preparing challah on shabbat, and I love finding new ways to stuff it so it becomes a total meal.

Challah takes some time to make, but it is 1,000% worth it!

This vegan challah was the request of our 13 year old daughter. She loves our Buffalo “chicken” dip with jackfruit and stuffing that magic into warm, soft, fluffy challah seemed like a no brainer to me! Covered in melted vegan cheddar and drizzled with hot sauce glaze, its now on my top 5 favorite stuffed challah list!

So bake up a batch of our Vegan Buffalo “chicken” dipand stuff your own vegan challah. Then challah at me and let me know how much you loved it!

Challah:

Follow the recipe for my basic Challah Y'all, Vegan Challah. You will follow the instructions through the first rise, then follow the below instructions for stuffing and braiding.

  • 1 batch of Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip, baked and cooled

  • 1 cup leftover aquafaba

  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

  • 3 teaspoons buffalo sauce (I always use Franks)

  • 1 cup shredded vegan cheddar (I always use homemade or follow your heart cheddar shreds)

Stuffing the Challah:

  1. Once Challah has completed its first rise, remove from oven and separate dough in half. This recipe will yield 2 stuffed challah loaves.

  2. Cut each half into thirds. (each loaf will have three pieces of dough. Work with one loaf at a time, leaving the other three pieces of dough covered in a bowl until you are ready to use them)

  3. Take one piece of dough in your hand and begin to stretch it both length wise, and width wise and the same, time, letting gravity help with the length. You want a rectangle of dough that is about 5 inches wide and about 6-7 inches long. Once your dough is the correct size, Add a few scoops of dip to the center of the dough. Do not get too close to the edges, if the dip wets the dough it will not seal together.

  4. Once stuffed, bring the outside edges together, and pinch to seal. Once dough is sealed, pick it up and start to gently stretch the dough into a fat rope. You will have to kind of squeeze and pull at the same time, just do not squeeze so hard that the filling comes out. You just need the rope long enough to braid, 10-12 inches.

  5. Repeat with the other two strands.

  6. Once all three strands are stuffed, and formed, carefully braid the three pieces together. If the seams begin to open, pinch them back and continue braiding. Tuck both ends of the loaf under when done braiding. Once again I will refer you to Tori Avey's challah braiding guide if you are unfamiliar with braiding challah! She does a fantastic job showing all the different ways to braid your bread, plus she has some really great recipes on her site.

  7. Repeat with the second loaf, and place both stuffed loaves on a baking sheet, and back in the oven to rise again for about 45 mintues. Once they have risen, remove from oven and pre-heat to 350.

  8. Mix 1 cup of left over aquafaba, maple syrup and buffalo sauce. Brush each loaf of challah with the mixture and sprinkle with vegan cheddar shreds. You can also add a little extra hot sauce to the aquafaba mix and drizzle it over the challah before you bake it.

  9. Bake both loaves for about 35 - 45 minutes. You can tap the tops to see if they sound a little hallow. It is hard to tell when stuffed challahs are done when there are wet ingredients inside, so if they do not seem cooked through after 35 minutes, let them keep cooking for 5 - 10 more minutes.

  10. Remove challah from the oven, and allow to cool some before cutting.

*Follow us on Instagram @86.eats and check out step by step challah making in our highlights. This shows making aquafaba, and the stages of the dough!

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Spiced Apple and Pecan Stuffed Vegan Challah

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I have been baking and stuffing challah bread for what seems like forever.

This spiced apple and pecan stuffing has long been a favorite for fall, and the High Holidays.

This vegan challah bread is just as beautiful as it is delicious, and is sure to impress anyone who gets the privilege of tasting it.

Stuffed with fall spices apples, pecans and dates, this vegan challah is my favorite for Rosh Hashanah!

If you have never made challah, then by all means, you must! It’s not nearly as intimidating as it may seem, and the stuffing possibilities are endless!

Be sure to read the instructions on the challah very well. It is a common mistake to think you are measuring the liquid of the aquafaba, not the whipped product,  (the recipe states to measure the whipped product but it still tends to be an issue for people, and I am often asked) BUT you need to measure out THE WHIPPED PRODUCT in the recipe not the liquid before you have whipped it!!!

Making vegan challah is easier than most people think, and the whipped aquafaba in the recipe severs as an excellent egg replacer in a bread that normally has 3 to 4 eggs.

Braiding challah is also easier than you may think but practice will improve your braids over time. I made sure to link my favorite braiding link so you can learn all kinds of fancy challah braids, from 3 to 5 strands and even a round holiday braid!

So if you are looking for a vegan High Holiday Challah, or just a delicious vegan fall bread, this may just be what you are looking for!

Challah

Follow the recipe for my basic Challah Y'all, Vegan Challah. You will follow the instructions through the first rise, then follow the below instructions for stuffing and braiding.

Filling Ingredients:

  • 2 large green apples

  • 1 cup chopped peans

  • 1/3 cup chopped dates, or raisins

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • pinch of salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/4 teaspoons nutmeg

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Peel apples and finely dice them. You want pretty small pieces so they will fit in the challah braids, and cook through while baking. Next, chop pecans, and dates. Add fruit and nuts along with remaining filling ingredients into a bowl, and stir well.

  2. Once Challah has completed its first rise, remove from oven and separate dough in half. This recipe will yield 2 stuffed challah loaves.

  3. Cut each half into thirds. (each loaf will have three pieces of dough. Work with one loaf at a time, leaving the other three pieces of dough covered in a bowl until you are ready to use them)

  4. Take one piece of dough in you hand and begin to stretch it both length wise, and width wise and the same, time, letting gravity help with the length. You want the dough to be about 12 inches long, and maybe 4 inches wide. Once you have it stretched length wise, you can put it on a floured counter top and press it to get it the width stretched.

  5. Once your dough is the correct size, divide the apple filling in half. Then each half into thirds. This will give you 6 equal portions of filling for each strand of dough. Scoop a portion of filling into a row down the middle of a strand of dough. The filling will produce a liquid from the apples at the bottom of the bowl. Avoid scooping up any of this liquid with the filling. If the dough is wet it will not want to stick and seal. Now pull up the edges of the dough and pinch them together to seal the seam.

  6. Repeat with the other two strands.

  7. Once all three strands are stuffed, and formed, carefully braid the three pieces together. If the seams begin to open, add a little flour to them and pinch them back and continue braiding. Tuck both ends of the loaf under when done braiding. Once again I will refer you to Tori Avey's challah braiding guide if you are unfamiliar with braiding challah! She does a fantastic job showing all the different ways to braid your bread, plus she has some really great recipes on her site.

  8. Repeat with the second loaf, and place both stuffed loaves on a baking sheet, and back in the oven to rise again for about 45 minutes. Once they have risen, remove from oven and pre-heat to 350.

  9. Brush tops of challah with some of your left over whipped aquafaba and sprinkle with a little sugar.

  10. Bake both loaves for about 35 - 45 minutes. You can tap the tops to see if they sound a little hallow. It is hard to tell when stuffed challahs are done when there are wet ingredients inside, so if they do not seem cooked through after 35 minutes, let them keep cooking for 5 - 10 more minutes.

  11. Remove challah from the oven, and allow to cool before cutting.

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Beyond Meatball Stuffed Challah

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 The only thing better than vegan challah may just be stuffed vegan challah! And the only thing better than a meatball sub may just be a whole loaf of soft, delicious bread ,stuffed with cheesy, saucy, meatballs.

You read that correctly! Soft, fluffy, perfect vegan challah, stuffed with vegan meatballs, marinara, mozzarella.

It’s saucy, “meaty”, gooey, vegan cheesy magic, all wrapped into a warm fluffy challah bread.

It’s a meatball sandwich you can eat without worrying about the meatballs falling out the back and into your lap, and that will feed a whole family ( or maybe still just you if you are extra hungry!) This recipe actually makes 2 loaves so you can be stingy and there will still be one to share!

I promise vegan challah is easier than it may seem, and I also promise stuffing it with vegan meatballs (or anything else for the matter) is not that hard either!

We used Beyond Brand Meat for the meatballs because it is my favorite brand to use. You can use whatever is handy or easy to find. You can also use pre-made vegan meatballs if that is easier for you. I like Trader Joes brand if going that route!

For the cheese you can use store bought vegan mozzarella or fry your hand at making your own. We have serval mozzarella recipes on the the site. This vegan mozzarella cheese stick recipe can be molded in a bowl then easily shredded for this recipe. It shreds, slices, and melts really well!

This recipe hands down my favorite stuffed challah to make and eat! If you love challah and you love meatball subs, then this is gonna be your favorite too. I have zero doubts!

Challah

Follow the recipe for my basic Challah Y'all, Vegan Challah. You will follow the instructions through the first rise, then follow the below instructions for stuffing and braiding.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 thawed Beyond Meat Burgers or 1 lb of vegan ground mince

  • 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (a mix of thyme, sage, basil, marjoram, rosemary, and oregano) if you do not have Italian seasoning feel free to add a combo of any of the listed spices

  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste

  • 1 flax egg

  • 1 bag vegan mozzarella shreds, like Follow Your Heart brand

Sauce

  • 1 onion, diced

  • 1 carrot, diced

  • 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

  • 1/3 cup red wine (optional)

  • 2 teaspoons crushed garlic

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Meatballs

  1. Mix thawed burgers, panko bread crumbs, garlic, spices, and flax egg together in a bowl.

  2. Once well combined, form meatballs with a small scoop, or spoon, and place them on a baking pan. You can line the pan with parchment paper for easier clean up.

  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sauce

  1. Sauté onions and carrots in 1 teaspoon of oil until onions are translucent with 1 teaspoon of salt in a large pot for 5 minutes.

  2. Add the wine, and let it cook for 2 minutes.

  3. Add the remaining ingredients, and let the sauce simmer for 30 minutes.

  4. Add the cooked meatballs, and let simmer in the sauce for 15 minutes.

Stuffing the Challah

  1. Once Challah has completed its first rise, remove from oven and separate dough in half. This recipe will yield 2 stuffed challah loaves.

  2. Cut each half into thirds. (each loaf will have three pieces of dough. Work with one loaf at a time, leaving the other three pieces of dough covered in a bowl until you are ready to use them)

  3. Take one piece of dough in you hand and begin to stretch it both length wise, and width wise and the same, time, letting gravity help with the length. You want the dough to be about 12 inches long, and maybe 4 inches wide. Once you have it stretched length wise, you can put it on a floured counter top and press it to get it the width stretched.

  4. Once your dough is the correct size, begin adding the meatballs in a row, it works best if you cut them in half. You can add a LITTLE sauce, but if the dough becomes wet on the edges, it WILL NOT seal together when pinched. So do not over fill. Sprinkle with vegan cheese shreds. Save the extra sauce for dipping, later.

  5. Once stuffed, bring the outside edges together, and pinch to seal.

  6. Repeat with the other two strands.

  7. Once all three strands are stuffed, and formed, carefully braid the three pieces together. If the seams begin to open, pinch them back and continue braiding. Tuck both ends of the loaf under when done braiding. Once again I will refer you to Tori Avey's challah braiding guide if you are unfamiliar with braiding challah! She does a fantastic job showing all the different ways to braid your bread, plus she has some really great recipes on her site.

  8. Repeat with the second loaf, and place both stuffed loaves on a baking sheet, and back in the oven to rise again for about 45 mintues. Once they have risen, remove from oven and pre-heat to 350.

  9. Brush tops of challah with some vegan butter.

  10. Bake both loaves for about 35 - 45 minutes. You can tap the tops to see if they sound a little hallow. It is hard to tell when stuffed challahs are done when there are wet ingredients inside, so if they do not seem cooked through after 35 minutes, let them keep cooking for 5 - 10 more minutes.

  11. Remove challah from the oven, and allow to cool some before cutting. Serve with reserved sauce for dipping.

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