Let me start off by saying I am not Jewish, and as far as I know, this recipe is not kosher. Maybe it is, but I’m not Jewish, so I really don’t know. What I do know is that I love Jewish food. Latkes, matzoh ball soup, sufganiyot, bagels, lox, and schmear. It is all, so, so delicious. I also love challah. It’s beautiful and braided with a softy eggy interior. It’s amazing. And I have to say, my children agree. In fact, I have now made challah so much in my house, I can officially say I have a favorite recipe. What you’ll find below is My Favorite Challah.
Challah’s soft and eggy interior makes it special. Honestly, it would be my everyday bread if I had the choice. But around here, challah is special. We slice it thick. Sometimes we top it with just butter, and indulge in it’s richness and texture. But most of the time, it serves as a vessel or base for something else; like BLT’s or French Toast.
But challah isn’t only special for it’s flavor and texture. It’s one of the few braided loaves of bread you’ll see in America. And it’s beautiful. An egg wash across the plait before baking creates a golden brown, glistening loaf.
But here’s the thing. I’m not an exceptional braider. I can do a standard three strand plait, like you would if you were braiding the hair of a toddler. Nothing particularly fancy, but beautiful and fast never the less.
Most challah tend to be a four strand plait, sometimes six, and up to twelve. That’s a bit too intense for me, to be quite honest. I never can really tell which strand ends up going where. However, if you’d like to show me up, and are up for an adventure in plaiting, you can check out these videos for instructions on how to do a more advanced plait on the bread.
There are a multitude of ways to style challah. This video includes 10 different ways!
No matter how you choose to finish the loaf, this base recipe will yield excellent dough with a wonderful depth of flavor. Just change the division of the dough to meet the criteria for the bread design you would like!
Is my favorite challah your new favorite challah? Have you even ever had challah before? Let me know what you’d make with it!
My Favorite Challah
Equipment
- Large Sheet Pan
- Stand Mixer (optional)
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tbsp Active Dry Yeast
- 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 2 Cups Lukewarm Water
- ½ Cup Vegetable Oil
- 6 Large Eggs Reserve One
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 8½ Cups Bread Flour
- 1 Tbsp Salt
Instructions
- Add two cups of water to a large mixing bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer.
- Dissolve yeast and 2T of sugar in the water.
- Let rest until yeast is bubbly, fragrant, and activated between 5-10 minutes.
- Add oil, 5 eggs, and sugar to the yeast mixture, and mix until combined.
- Add the flour.
- Add the salt.
- Mix to combine.
- Knead with a dough hook on low speed for 5 minutes in a stand mixer, or knead by hand for 10 minutes on a floured surface.
- Move kneaded dough to a large greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel.
- Leave to rise for 1 hour.
- Punch dough down
- Let rise for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough in half.
- Divide the halves into thirds.
- Roll each third into a long log, or snake about 18 to 20 inches long.
- Move the strands into groups of three, and create a simple braid (like you would braid hair)
- One braided, push down the ends, and tuck them slightly underneath the loaves.
- Place the loaves on the large sheet pan, with as much space between them as possible. The bread will increase in size about one inch on each side.
- Beat the reserved egg.
- Brush the beaten egg lightly over the loaves. And set the remainder of the egg aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F
- Cover again, and let loaves rise for one hour more.
- Brush the loaves with the remaining egg.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden and hollow sounding when tapped.
- Cool completely before slicing.
