The Best Challah Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What kind of flour is best for challah bread? ›

Type of flour: A good-quality bread flour is ideal for strong dough. I personally use this one. If you don't have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour (do not use a “self-rising” version). Amount of flour: The key to a soft loaf that isn't dense is to use as little flour as possible.

Oil: Vegetable oil, generally used in making challah, is fine—and produces neutral-tasting bread. I prefer olive oil and love the slightly herbal note it imparts to my bread. If using raisins: Make sure the raisins are plump and not desiccated, if using.

During the rising process the gluten in the dough is working as well as the yeast; insufficient time alloted disrupts their baking qualities. Overrising the first rise, which is when the dough is still just a dough, can occur.

If your dough is STILL too hard: This can happen if you used too much flour by accident or if you are using whole wheat flour that has a higher bran content. Make a hole in the center of your dough by pulling it open with your hands. Pour some very warm water and a teaspoon of oil into the hole.

If the dough contains at least 1.666 kilo (a little more than 7 cups) of flour, one should take challah with a blessing. If the amount of flour in the dough is more than 1.2 kilo but less than 1.666 (5-7 cups), challah should be taken without a blessing.

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

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.

Canola oil is, without doubt, one of the best types of oil for baking.

Does olive oil make dough softer? Yes - adding olive oil to sourdough bread will result in a softer crust and crumb. The oil as a lipid coats the flour and inhibits the gluten network resulting in a softer, tighter crumb and softer crust.

The process involves two long room temperature rises: the first, 8-10 hours and the second, 4-5 hours. I suggest kneading the dough Thursday evening, letting it rise overnight, then forming the loaves Friday morning. With this timing, you are ready to break the challah around 12/1PM on Friday.

When to stop kneading challah? ›

If using a stand mixer, knead the dough until all of the ingredients are combined and the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. If making this by hand, knead the dough for 7 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding a sprinkling more flour if needed.

Allow the dough to rise in a plastic wrap-covered bowl for about 2 hours, or until it's puffy; it won't necessarily double in bulk.

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.

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!

Why? So the challah can be dipped right after the beracha is recited. The Mishnah Berurah (167:27) explains that dipping in salt or condiments makes the first bite tasty and adds honor to the beracha.

While bread flour is more than adequate for everyday breads, some professional bakers use high-gluten flour with a 14% protein content to provide extra strength to dense, chewy doughs like bagels and pizza dough. High-gluten bread flour gives milk bread it's taut structure and compact (but tender) crumb.

Bread flour is higher in protein content (typically 12-14% compared to all purpose flour's protein of 8-11%). This higher protein content promotes a strong gluten formation in the bread dough as it kneads, providing more elasticity, greater strength, and a slightly chewier texture.

It's important to know that challah is what you call an enriched dough. Enriched doughs have a higher fat and sugar content, resulting in a soft and tender crumb (interior). The enriching components in this dough are melted butter, whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar.

If you prefer your rolls more firm, chewy, and substantial then bread flour would be your go-to bread baking flour. Self-Rising Flour: Self-rising flour is a biscuit makers dream! It is a softer, lower-protein (8.5%) wheat flour that creates wonderfully tender biscuits and muffins.