Description
Challah (haa·luh) is probably one of my favorite recipes. It is soft, fluffy, flavorful, easy and fun to make. It’s so good, my husband and I love to eat it as is and along with a bit of sweet red wine. It also makes for a good breakfast bread, sandwich, and also french toast. It may look complicated, but it’s really not and honestly creating the braid is the best part.
Please note, that this makes a medium-sized loaf. Usually it is just me and my husband who is eating it. So feel free to double up the recipe if you prefer a large loaf!
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 180g (¾ cup) – warm water, 100°F/38°C
- 1 ½ teaspoon – active dry yeast
- 384g (3 cups) – bread flour, leveled and sifted, see notes
- 1 ½ teaspoon – kosher salt
- 50g (¼ cup) – neutral oil, I used vegetable oil
- 60g (⅓ cup) – sugar
Glaze:
- 1 tbsp – maple syrup/agave
- 1 tbsp – non-dairy milk, I used soy
Equipment:
- Liquid measuring cup
- Food scale https://amzn.to/3DMGwXJ
- Mesh sieve
- Stand Mixer and dough hook attachment https://amzn.to/3zKqRG5
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- Plastic wrap or damp cloth
- 1 small mixing bowl
- Tiny whisk or fork
- Pastry brush or silicone brush
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in warm water, 100°F/38°C, and set aside to bloom for 10 minutes. I like to mix in 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar in the water before adding in the yeast to see more activity. It should be foamy and bubbly. See notes
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the dry ingredients. Bread flour, salt, and sugar. See notes on how to properly measure out the flour.
- When your yeast is ready, make a well in your dry ingredients and pour in the yeast water mixture and oil. Attach the dough hook attachment, and let the ingredients mix on the lowest settings for 5 minutes. Bump up the speed to 2 and allow the dough to knead for 10 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl if needed. You’ll know if your dough is kneaded properly if you lightly press into it and it immediately springs back. See notes
- Place the dough onto a work surface and form it into a taut ball. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl and place the dough inside and cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Set it aside in a warm spot and allow the dough to rise and double in size. Depending on where you live this can take anywhere from 2-4 hours. See notes
- When your dough has doubled in size, punch it down and transfer it over to a work surface. (This part will depend on how many braids you want to do, mine is a 6-strand braid.) Once you’ve decided on the braid you’re doing, divide the dough into the right number of pieces. You can eyeball this or you can use a food scale for more accuracy. Shape each piece of dough into a smooth ball. Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and allow to rest for 15 minutes. While you wait, prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Roll each piece into a rope about 14 inches long. If the dough starts to shrink back as you roll, cover it and let it rest for about 10 minutes, then resume rolling. This will help the gluten relax. Braid the loaf. See notes for a 3-strand and 6-strand braiding tutorial. Gently place the braided loaf onto the prepared baking sheet. Cover the loaf with plastic wrap or a damp cloth. Place in a warm spot and let it rise until it has visibly doubled in size, again this will depend on where you live. This can take anywhere from 1-2 hours. While you wait start preheating the oven to 375°F/190°C.
- In a small bowl, mix together the maple syrup and soy milk. Gently brush the glaze all over the loaf and bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, carefully remove the loaf from the oven and brush a second coat of the glaze all over. Place it back in the oven to finish baking for another 20 minutes. You should get a really lovely dark crust on the outside. Dark, but not burnt.
- When the loaf is done baking, carefully remove it from the oven and place it over a wire rack. Let it cool completely before slicing into it!
Notes
- I highly, highly suggest following the recipe using the gram measurements. It will give you the best results. Cup measurements are not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- If the yeast does not show signs of bubbling or is flat, the yeast is probably not active anymore. Try again with a different pack of yeast.
- If you are not using a food scale, make sure to fluff/sift and level out your flour before adding it to the bowl. Flour tends to settle in your container, so you might be adding more flour than you think. For more details, click here to see my top tips for measuring out flour.
- The dough should be slightly sticky & supple, it should not stick to your hands. If the dough seems overly sticky and wet, you can add ¼ cup (32g) more flour at a time.
- You do not need to add flour while rolling the dough, but if you find that it is sticking to your work surface, lightly dust with flour over the surface. Do not add too much flour, or else the dough will end up being too tough.
- Because challah is a very enriched dough, it takes longer to rise than normal bread. However, humidity, season, temperature, and altitude can all impact the rise. So, I would start early when making this bread, and make sure to keep it in a warm spot and observe it, do not proceed if it has not doubled in size.
- My mother-in-law taught me how to do a 6-strand braid, but I have found a video tutorial that will help and I will also link a 3-strand braid for you to follow, 6-strand braid & 3-strand braid.
Keywords: vegan, bread, challah, jewish recipe, shabbat, braided bread
