When my cousin was little, Princess Aurora was her favorite princes. She even named her baby doll Aurora (and named the other baby doll after our uncle, but that’s a story for another time!) Since she was just in town, I thought I’d kick off this new challah series inspired by Disney movies with a sleeping beauty challah.
In the movie, the three fairies fight over the color of Princess Aurora’s dress, constantly changing it from pink to blue. This loaf is lavender flavored, the princess is known for her sleeping after all!
¼ Cup butter melted
3 Teaspoons instant yeast
1 Cup warm water
1 Egg
2 Teaspoons lavender (ground in a spice grinder)
¾ Cup sugar
3-4 Cups flour
Whisk eggs, salt, butter, sugar, warm water, lavender, and yeast in a large bowl.
Add the flour one cup at a time to yeast mixture. Using a strong spatula to mix at the beginning and using your hands to mix once it gets too difficult with the spatula.
Once the dough is fully mixed, divide into two. Turn the first section out onto a floured surface. Add blue food coloring and knead for ten minutes. Turn the second section of dough out onto a floured surface. Add pink food coloring and knead for ten minutes.
Grease a large bowl with spray oil and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and put in the oven to proof. (Make sure the oven is off!) Proof until the dough is doubled in size about 45 minutes-1 hour.
Once the challah is doubled in size, punch it down and cut each color into three sections.
Take one section of pink and one section of blue. Place whichever color you want to be on the outside on the bottom and roll the dough into a rectangle. Roll into a strand and continue with the other sections of dough.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Braid into a three strand braid and bake for 25-30 minutes.
