Use the recipes included only as a guide. Study recipes
as you encounter them, learn from others who participate in
challah-making. Let the stories of our grandmothers also guide
us. They often had no written recipes, never used measuring
spoons or thermometers, and rarely had stoves that were carefully
calibrated. Use these recipes to get started and then create your
own. Add a little more flour, a pinch less salt, a little more
honey, a twist all your own. Also included are some techniques
that rarely are shared that may help you. These recipes
are appropriate to be mixed in a machine or by hand... try both.
Challah-making can be a richly rewarding personal, family and
community experience. It easily becomes not only a meaningful,
anticipated ritual, but also a valued tradition, building
treasurable memories.
| Recipe #1 (Traditional): |
Recipe #2 (Whole Wheat/Eggless): |
| Water 1-1/3 cups
Eggs 3 (yolks only) Vegetable oil 3 T. Honey 1 cup Salt 2 t. Bread flour 4 cups Yeast 2-1/2 t. |
Water 1-1/2 cups
Vegetable oil 2 T. Honey 1 cup Salt 1-1/2 t. Whole wheat flour 2 cups Bread flour 2 cups Yeast 3 t. |
Special Tips:
- Use warm water when the kitchen is cold, colder water when hot.
- Buy yeast at a health food store. It should cost about $.90 / 4 oz. At a supermarket it is very expensive.
- Use different spoons for dry and wet ingredients.
- Make an indentation in the middle of the flour and put yeast in.
Great challah can be made without eggs and with whole wheat flour. Use this recipe as a basis for creating your own.
Other Variations:
- For Rosh Hashonah, add raisins or dried cranberries (craisins).
- For Purim, use the same dough recipe with prune or poppyseed filling to create a huge hamantaschen. This was how my grandmother made them. I have revived a family tradition that lay dormant for fifty years! You must try the Bensman-Saxe method...
- Instead of braiding the dough, divide it in small rectangles and bake them in a pan = weekday challah.
- Make “brioche”, a classic French bread, by adding strips of Swiss cheese to each braid.
The Steps
Mixing
In a large bowl, add water; egg yolks, oil, honey, salt, flour and yeast. Use one hand to mix the ingredients. You may find that you need to add flour or water so keep one hand clean! Your goal is to end with a ball with very little flour left in the bowl.
KneadingDust flour on a table; place your ball of dough on it. James Beard's description of kneading is excellent:
“Push the heel of your hand down into the dough and away from you. Fold the dough over, give it a quarter turn and push again with the hand. Continue the sequence of pushing, folding and turning. Knead until the dough...has a smooth, satiny, elastic texture.”
The only thing I might add is: use your whole body, like you are davening! There is something about kneading that is deeply sensual, meditational, introspective, elevating. This is the time for adding positive feelings, prayers and good thoughts to the recipe; this is where challah is made holy...
Separate Challah/BrachaIt is a mitzvah to separate challah! When the dough is kneaded, separate out a small amount and say the bracha:
Blessed are You, Baker of the Universe, who has sanctified us with commandments and instructed us to separate challah.
Bake the separated portion along with the loaf. It can then be used to feed the birds as tzedakah.
The obligation to separate challah is when 2-1/2 pounds of flour is used – far more than will be used for home baking. Give thought to this and consult those with whom you discuss religious questions. An alternative that may work better for you is to give tzedakah...keep a challah pushke!
First Rising
Place the ball of dough in a lightly oiled bowl or pan. Most sources suggest you cover it with plastic wrap or a towel. You can place the bowl in the oven, turn on the oven to the lowest temperature and let it rise. Most sources say let it rise until it is double in volume or for an hour. You will develop your own methods.
Braiding
This is the most challenging and probably the most poorly described technique in bread books. I hope to change all that right here! Be sure you dust your working space with flour, and reknead your dough now (yeah, more kneading!).
At this stage you have a kneaded ball. Divide the ball into three pieces. Getting three equal pieces from a ball can lead to miscalculations, so look at the ball and before cutting, make three lines where you are going to cut, then proceed.
The goal is to get three even “cords” of dough. Take each piece and roll into a ball. Take the first ball and with a rolling pin or drinking glass, roll the dough into a rectangle. When it is flat, roll each long side to the middle, and then roll with your palms to make a single even “cord”. Repeat with the other two balls.
To braid, it will be a three-step process.
First work from the bottom: Put 1 over 2, 3 over 1, 2 over 3, then Turn the challah so 4, 5 and 6 face you, then Put 4 over 5, 6 over 4, 5 over 6, and Squeeze together the ends. |
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Second Rising
Spray or oil your baking pan and place the braided challah on it. Using a pastry brush, coat with a wash of egg yolk and water, and toss on poppy, plain sesame, or a mixture of black and white sesame seeds, if you like. Place in oven on the middle rack at the lowest temperature until doubled in size, anywhere from 30-60 minutes.
Baking
Raise the oven temperature to 375 degrees, bake about 45 minutes. The challah should “thunk” nicely when tapped with a finger when done.