Pesto Star Challah

Beautifully braided, deliciously made.

Making star-shaped challah may seem intimidating, but it is not as difficult as it looks! The little bit of extra effort needed to make this produces an intricate challah design that not only tastes amazing but acts as a beautiful centerpiece for your table.

How to Star-Braid Challah

1. Divide your dough into 3 equal pieces.

2. Roll out each piece into a circle (about 1/4 inch thick).

3. Spread a thin, even layer of a filling of your choosing on top of one of the circles. Place another circle on top of it (making sure to cover the bottom circle completely) and repeat. Place the final circle on top.

4. Place a drinking glass (or any small, round object) in the center of the stack of dough. Use the circle as a guide to cut the dough into 16 even wedges (I like to divide the dough into quarters, then eighths, etc.). Remove the glass when finished. There should be no cuts within the perimeter of where the glass was placed.

5. Take 2 adjacent wedges and twist them twice away from each other, pinching them at the ends to seal them together. Repeat until all wedges are twisted and sealed.

I recommend using a thick filling when creating this shape. Thinner fillings tend to spill out when you twist the wedges, making it a little difficult to adequately shape and seal the dough. Try this out with pesto, Swedish cinnamon bun filling, or chocolate spread!