Classic Challah
Classic Challah
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| dairy free | |
| Hands-on time: | |
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| Baking time: | |
| Total time: | |
| Yield: | One 16" loaf, 16 servings. |
Ingredients
Dough
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 large eggs
- 4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
Glaze
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
Directions
1) To make the dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead them, by hand, mixer, or bread machine, until you have a soft, smooth dough.
2) Allow the dough to rise, covered, for about 2 hours, or until it's puffy and nearly doubled in bulk.
3) Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to a lightly greased work surface.
4) You may braid the challah the traditional way, into a three-strand braid. For a fancier presentation, make a four-strand braid, as follows. Divide the dough into four pieces, and shape each piece into a rough 6" log. Cover the logs with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.
5) Roll each log into a 15" rope. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.
6) Continue rolling the ropes til they're about 20" long; they'll shrink back to about 18" as they sit.
7) Lay the strands parallel to one another, and pinch the ends on your left together.
8) Take the rope nearest you, and move it up over the two adjoining ropes.
9) Next, move the rope back under the rope next to it. Fan the ends of the ropes out again.
10) Repeat the process, but start with the rope farthest away from you. Bring it down and across the two adjoining ropes, and then back under the rope nearest it. Continue in this fashion, alternating which side you begin with, until you've braided the whole loaf. Pinch the loose ends together, and tuck them underneath the loaf.
11) Gently pick up the loaf, and place it on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.
12) Cover the loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap or a proof cover, and let it rise till it's very puffy, 60 to 90 minutes. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F.
13) Whisk together the egg and 1 tablespoon water, and brush this glaze over the risen loaf.
14) Place the baking sheet atop another baking sheet; this will insulate the bread's bottom crust, and keep it from browning too much. Put the challah in the lower third of the oven, and bake it for 20 minutes.
15) Tent the challah loosely with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 25 minutes, until the loaf is golden brown.
16) Remove the bread from the oven, and place it on a rack to cool.
Reviews
05/14/2012- I've been making this challah bread for years and absolutely love it, especially mixed with raisins! I would love to experiment with the recipe for variations, though. In particular, I'm thinking of using milk instead of water (I'm hoping that doing so help me achieve a softer texture and richer taste), and/or substituting part or all of the oil with butter (just to see what would happen.). Is this a good idea?
Sure you could use milk in place of the water and you may use softened butter in place of the oil. You may also want to pay attention to how you are measuring your flour. Many folks get dry product because of too much flour. Let me direct you to our site on how to measure flour. Elisabeth
- 05/09/2012
- Is it possible to shape this into a regular loaf and bake in a loaf pan instead of braiding it?
Yes, you can bake it right in your loaf pan. You can even braid it and bake it in the loaf pan. The braided Challah is part of Jewish traditions and symbolism. For instance, a three strand braid represents truth, peace, and justice. betsy@kaf
- 05/08/2012
- Ok, the first time I made this, it did not turn out as good. Here's the pix
http://imgur.com/a/GWGMK
The second time I've made this recipe has made it turn out much much better. Here's the pix this time:
http://imgur.com/a/AbpDu
I have tried other recipes, but this one is the best.
NOTES FOR BREAD BAKERS:
1. The first time I used a cheaper honey, this time I'm using real local honey.
2. Let it rise for 2 hours for sure, let it rise the second time for at least the 1.5 hours they say.
3. It's important to TENT this after 20 mins as specified in the recipe.
4. You can use oil (olive) for rolling the strands, I did.
5. To make a 6 braid use this great video from youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCivWDh2dTc&list=PL4415D748BA797DB6
"Over 2, under 1, over 2" - all the way down.
QUESTION FOR KAF:
How do I do an 8 braid or a 10 braid? I want to do it the "easy" way like in the above video.
In our baking books we demonstrate a 4 and a 6 strand braid. You can certainly experiment with 8 and 10 strands.....I would make the strands extra thin so you don't end up with a monster size loaf! betsy@kaf
04/20/2012- Yummy! Very moist and easy, not at all like my first scary experience with another recipe. Dough will be slack and slow to proof, but patience is all that is required. I reduced the rise with 2 tsp of instant yeast, and the process took about 6-7 hours. Well worth the wait! Do double insulate as advised. Mine burnt on the underside.... In future, I will reduce the oil.
- 04/03/2012
- This is the first challah I've made...and it was spectacular! It looked exactly like the photo...the 4 strand braid was easy..over two, under one...I wondered why I'd never tried that before. The texture is heaven, the crust tender and browned to perfection...but that slight honey taste makes you want to eat the whole loaf. Definitely a keeper!!! Thank you KA
- 11/29/2011
- I shaped Brioche dough into Challah shape. I mixed Carrant into dough and sprinkled Hawaiian sugar. Yum! Thanks KAF.
- 11/10/2011
- I put my dough in fridge over night in my Zo bread pan, and then shaped it next morning. I let it sit for 2 hours before baking. I wonder if I can use Brioche dough to make this Challeh. Anyone tried or knows?
Challah is Challah, and Brioche is Brioche. If you prefer the flavor of one over the other, then you can shape as you please for the final rise and bake. Happy Baking! Irene @ KAF
- 10/08/2011
- Great recipe- works very well for me. Question: has anybody come up with a good method for making challah like they do at the supermarket, where it looks braided on top but it was baked in a loaf pan so it is a good shape for sandwiches? Do you make a short braided loaf and then just stuff it in a 1 lb pan?
It may be best to weigh your dough, then braid and place in the pan to rise. A loaf pan easily holds 1 1/2 pounds of dough. Happy Baking! Irene @ KAF
- 09/11/2011
- This is a lovely recipe. So moist and easy to work with! It was a pleasure to knead even, and it made a lovely braid. The flavor was exceptionally rich and the texture was quite creamy. I still have some work to do costumizing the temp and time for my oven (my loaf came out overbrowned and slightly undercooked at first). I will also try the double pan trick to see if that will help. Very nice!
- 08/13/2011
- This recipe is the best individually as one braided loaf or for two loaves make 1/2 extra ie. 3 eggs two extra cups flour. I personally bake this as two loaves and fold in dried blueberry and blueberry jammy bits. My two year old is on a french toast kick and this is her bread LOL. You all have the greatest recipes.
