Challah
Challah bread is one of the prettiest loafs, isn’t it? That’s in addition to being delicious. Don’t be intimidated by Challah…it’s really not as difficult to make as it might look. It just takes some time and patience and the reward is well worth while. Now that the restrictions on leavened bread have passed, we can indulge in this delicious treat! It can be made in any number of fancy braided patterns. We chose two – the traditional four strand long loaf and the four strand round loaf. We’ve provided lots of pictures and written instructions as well as links to videos that show you how to braid the Challah.
Hopefully baking supplies are becoming more widely available where you are. They are here…we can now find flour and eggs and sugar pretty regularly in our local stores. Yeast is still impossible to come by and we haven’t had much experience with substituting starter for dry yeast. If you don’t have yeast in your pantry, maybe you know someone who will share theirs with you? We hope so!
Happy challah baking!
Jump to Recipe
Return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size.
After first rise, punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another 30 minutes.
Take half the dough and divide it into 4 equal balls. Use your hands to roll out each ball into a strand about 18 inches long.
Follow the written instructions below or watch this video to see the process for a four strand round loaf.
Take the second half of the dough and divide it into 4 equal balls.
Use your hands to roll out each ball into a strand about 18 inches long and slightly tapper the ends.
Follow the written instructions below or watch this video to see the process for a 4 strand long loaf.
Brush loaves with egg white wash and allow to rise another hour before baking.
Challah (Adapted from Joan Nathan recipe in The New York Times)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons from about 1 1/2 to 2 packages active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup (3.5 oz) plus 1 tablespoon sugar divided
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil plus more for greasing bowl
- 5 large eggs divided
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 8 cups (36 oz) all-purpose flour plus more for shaping
Instructions
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water; set aside for a few minutes until foamy. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful not to overmix.)
- FIRST RISE: Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. (Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150°F then turned off.)
- SECOND RISE: Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another 30 minutes.
- ROUND LOAF: To weave a 4-braided round loaf, take half the dough and divide it into 4 equal balls. Use your hands to roll out each ball into a strand about 18 inches long. Arrange the 4 ropes into a tic-tac-toe board (#), with the first horizontal strand over then under the vertical ones and the second horizontal strand under then over them (a.k.a. a weave). Keep the center of the board as tight as possible. Pick any rope that comes from under the center and jump it over its neighbor to the right. Continue clockwise with the rest of the “under ropes.” Then switch directions counterclockwise, again jumping the under ropes over their neighbors, but this time to the left. Continue until you run out of rope. Tuck the remaining strands under the dough to form a round. Use link to video above to see the process.
- LONG LOAF: To weave a 4-braided long loaf, take half the dough and divide it into 4 equal balls. Use your hands to roll out each ball into a strand about 18 inches long and slightly taper the ends. Lay the four strands side-by-side, then pinch them together so they are connected at the top. Take the strand furthest to the right and weave it towards the left through the other strands using this pattern: over, under, over. Take the strand furthest to the right and repeat the weaving pattern again: over, under, over. Repeat this pattern, always starting with the strand furthest to the right, until the whole loaf is braided. Pinch the ends of the loose strands together and tuck them under on both ends of the challah loaf to create a nice shape. Use link to video above to see the process.
- Place each loaf on its own baking sheet lined with parchment or a silpat.
- THIRD RISE: Beat remaining egg white with 1 tsp water and brush it on loaves. Let rise another hour. (Or, at this point—between the second and third rise—you can freeze the dough instead. Remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.)
- To bake, preheat oven to 375°F and brush loaves with another coat of egg white wash. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden. Do not overbake! If the loaves get too brown before the baking time is completed, cover them loosely with foil, then removing the foil for the final 2 minutes of baking.
- Allow loaves to cool completely on a wire rack.