My Go-To Challah Recipes
Bread Machine Challah
Ingredients
Directions
5lb Egg Challah
Ingredients
4 tbsp yeast or 4 (1/2 oz) packages of active dry yeast.
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup warm water
5 lbs bread flour + extra flour depending on climate if it is too sticky
2 tbsp & 2 tsp salt (I definitely have used only 2 tsp)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups oil
4 cups warm water
8 eggs
3 tbsp Vanilla (I don’t measure and just squeeze until it looks right)
Egg wash for challah: 1 – 2 eggs, vanilla (during RH, I add a squirt of Honey)
Directions
Proof the yeast:
I use a 4 cup measure cup and place 1/2 cup warm water, yeast, 1 tbsp sugar. I wisk everything together, which is a tip I learned just recently and the yeast proofs so much better.
Mix:
- In a large mixing bowl, oil the sides of the bowl.
- Then add all of the dry ingredients and mix well.
- Then add all the liquid ingredients.
- Knead until smooth ball. Put in very large bowl & let rise until it is double. Put it near a warm place
- Punch down.
- Take a small piece of dough the size of an egg & recite the blessing for challah. Wrap it in aluminum foil & burn in oven. It should not be in the oven at the same time as the rest of the challot you will eat. Keep it wrapped & discard when burned.
Braid
Let is rise a 2nd time.
Wash with egg wash
Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Times vary depending on the size of your challot.
Heavenly Challah (Vegan/Water)
Ingredients
7 Cups flour
2 tbs dry yeast
5-8 Tbs sugar (depending on desired sweetness)
2 ½ cups warm water
½ cup oil
1 tbs salt
Glaze:
1 egg beaten (sub maple syrup if you want it vegan)
Sesame seeds or poppy seeds
- Place all ingredients except the salt in a large bowl. Begin kneading. When a ball of dough is formed, add the salt. Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and soft, but not sticky
- Brush the dough and bowl with a bit of oil, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rise in a warm place for approximately 1 hour, until the dough doubles in volume.
- After the dough has risen, knead it for a few minutes. Roll pieces of dough into strands to be braided. To make more airy Challahs, roll out each strand into strips, approximately ¼ inch (about ½ centimeter) thick. Roll each strip Jellyroll fashion to form a tube and use these to braid the Challah.
- Place the Challah in a pan. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds if desired. Cover and let them rise again in a warm place for approximately 40 minutes. In the meantime preheat the over to 350 degrees.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the Challahs turn golden brown. Remove the Challah from the oven and from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
This recipe is from the kitchen of Alina Spaulding. I usually fill with chocolate chips and roll out long strip and flatten with a rolling pin and spread filling and the roll together before I braid.
