The Best Challah Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour for challah? ›

For best flavor, we recommend substituting white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour. For best texture, allow the just-mixed dough to rest for 20 minutes before kneading; this gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to handle.

The best baking temperature for *most* challahs is about 190°C / 365-375°F.

Amount of flour: The key to a soft loaf that isn't dense is to use as little flour as possible.

Swiss Zopf differs from other braid-shaped breads such as Challah or Hefekranz by way of being unsweetened.

Be careful not to over proof your loaves; if they proof too much, the air bubbles get too big, causing them to pop and then deflate in the oven.

Jewish bakeries use oil so the challah can be eaten with a dairy or meat meal, but we use butter because it tastes so much better. To make a traditional loaf, you can substitute a neutral vegetable oil like canola, corn or sunflower oil.

Allow the dough to rest and rise for 8–10 hours—overnight is perfect! Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

(Make sure your yeast is active and alive by testing some out and proofing a small amount with warm water prior to making a large batch of dough, then use cold water in the actual recipe). Rising dough in the refrigerator takes a minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 24 hours.

1. Do not separate challah when using flour less than 1.23kg (approximately 8 cups of unsifted flour or 9 cups of sifted flour). 2. Separate challah without a brocha when using flour weighing between 1.23kg and 1.67kg (between approximately 8 to 12 cups of unsifted flour or 9 and 15 cups of sifted flour).

Once it looks like a smooth and elastic dough, STOP adding flour; too much flour will dry out the dough! Add a bit more OIL instead and your dough will be great!

Why is my challah raw in the middle? ›

Do all of your other baked items bake okay and the problem is only your challahs? If this is what's happening, it could be that your challahs have simply not been inside the oven long enough. If so, increase your baking time by another 5 minutes for your challahs.

Place the loaf in the oven and bake. After 35 minutes of baking, check the internal temperature of the loaf with your Thermapen ONE. If the lowest temp you see is 195–200°F (91–93°C), the bread is done. Let the bread cool before slicing, then serve and enjoy!

Another interpretation is that having two loaves of three-stranded braids equals six total strands, which symbolize the six work days of the week aside from Shabbat. Challah made for Rosh Hashanah is round, to represent continuity without beginning or end.

Both breads are rich, eggy yeast breads, but brioche is definitely richer. (Butter will do that). Challah, by the way, is often a braided loaf. Both make excellent French toast and bread pudding.

Since the 12 showbreads were replaced every week on Shabbat, the custom to use oblong or braided challahs applies to Shabbat, whereas during the holidays, there are various different customs. For example, during the High Holidays, round challah is preferred.

Myrna's original recipe calls for all-purpose flour, and you can substitute that here. But I find bread flour gives the challah a nice chew without making it tough, and also helps the braided loaf maintain its shape after baking. For some novice challah makers, that braid can seem like the hardest part.

While bread flour is the best option, it can sometimes be used if you don't have bread flour. “Check the protein content,” advises Chef Jürgen, since it can vary from brand to brand, and an all-purpose flour that contains protein on the higher end of the range, 12 to 13 percent, will produce a better outcome.

For instance, unbleached all-purpose is most suitable for soft varieties such as white sandwich bread, while bread flour works best for rustic or hearth loaves. Butter and egg-rich breads (such as brioche) can benefit from bread flour in the lower range, such as Gold Medal's Better for bread flour.

Bread Flour

It's easy to find in any grocery store (again, King Arthur Flour is a favorite brand), is affordable, and adds some extra oomph and crispiness to thin crust and New York-style pizzas. It will make your crust crispy on the outside and chewy and textured on the inside.