Best 3 My Favorite Challah Recipes
**Challah: A Taste of Jewish Tradition**
Challah, a traditional Jewish bread, is a symbol of celebration, unity, and remembrance. Its unique taste and texture have made it a beloved staple in Jewish households and a favorite among bread enthusiasts worldwide. This versatile bread can be enjoyed on its own, used for sandwiches, or transformed into French toast and bread pudding.
In this article, we present two delightful recipes for challah: a classic egg challah and a unique chocolate challah. Both recipes have been carefully crafted to provide you with the perfect balance of flavors and textures. The classic egg challah offers a soft and fluffy interior with a golden-brown crust, while the chocolate challah adds a touch of sweetness and richness to the traditional recipe.
Whether you're a seasoned baker or just starting, these challah recipes are easy to follow and guarantee delicious results. So gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and let's embark on a culinary journey to create this iconic Jewish bread.
PERFECT CHALLAH BREAD
This is my favorite egg challah recipe because it is light, fluffy, and easy to make!
Provided by The Taste of Kosher
Categories Dairy Free Breads
Time 2h15m
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine flour, sugar, yeast, salt, eggs, oil, and 1 cup of water.
- Using a bread hook, knead, adding the water about a quarter cup at a time.
- The dough should be wet and sticky but pulling away from the side.
- Cover with a damp towel and set in a warm place. Let the dough rise until double in size (about 45 minutes).
- Remove the dough and divide it in half. Take one half and braid on a floured surface. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- Place both on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush with egg wash. Let rise until double in size (about 45 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 175°C.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 179 calories, Carbohydrate 29 grams carbohydrates, Cholesterol 19 milligrams cholesterol, Fat 5 grams fat, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 5 grams protein, SaturatedFat 0 grams saturated fat, ServingSize 1, Sodium 150 milligrams sodium, Sugar 3 grams sugar, TransFat 0 grams trans fat, UnsaturatedFat 4 grams unsaturated fat
MY FAVORITE CHALLAH
The word challah originally meant only the small portion of dough that was put in the oven when baking bread as a reminder of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It has evolved into the twisted, sweet, almost brioche-like bread that was brought to America by immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe. Although straight loaves of braided challah are eaten throughout the year, round challahs, often studded with raisins, are served for Rosh Hashana, and also for Yom Kippur and Sukkot, the holidays celebrating the New Year and the fall harvest. Throughout the years, I have picked up tips from challah bakers throughout this country and in Europe and Israel. For example: Several risings make a better loaf, and if you want an especially brioche-like texture, let the dough rise slowly in the refrigerator for one of the three risings. The secret to a glossy loaf is to brush with an egg wash twice, once just after braiding and then again just before baking.
Provided by Joan Nathan
Categories project, side dish
Time 1h
Yield 2 challahs
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
- 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. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.)
- Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. 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 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
- To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
- Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.
- If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking. Then dip your index finger in the egg wash, then into poppy or sesame seeds and then onto a mound of bread. Continue until bread is decorated with seeds.
- Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack.
MY FAVORITE CHALLAH...
Make and share this My Favorite Challah... recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Lori 13
Categories Yeast Breads
Time 2h40m
Yield 2 loaves
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Combine the water, yeast and sugar. Let stand 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat the eggs, oil, salt and sugar until pale yellow.
- Add flour, 1 cup at a time.
- Knead 10 minutes.
- Place in a sprayed bowl. Cover with a damp towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Punch down. Knead again.
- Repeat rising for 30 minutes.
- Punch down. Divide into 3 even pieces.
- Roll each out into a rope shape.
- Braid.
- Cover. Let rise 30 minutes.
- Heat oven 400.
- Brush loaf with egg.
- Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 350. Bake 30 more minutes.
- Let cool on racks.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 2658.2, Fat 100.9, SaturatedFat 11.1, Cholesterol 634.5, Sodium 1389, Carbohydrate 373.2, Fiber 12.6, Sugar 83.4, Protein 62.2
Tips:
- Activate the yeast properly. Proof the yeast in warm water with a little sugar before adding it to the dough. This will help ensure that the yeast is active and will produce a light and fluffy challah.
- Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. The dough should be kneaded for at least 5 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic. This will help develop the gluten in the dough, which will give the challah a chewy texture.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place. The dough should be allowed to rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size. This will give the yeast time to produce carbon dioxide gas, which will cause the dough to rise.
- Braid the dough. Once the dough has risen, it can be braided into a challah. There are many different ways to braid a challah, so choose the one that you like best.
- Bake the challah until it is golden brown. The challah should be baked at a high temperature for 30-35 minutes, or until it is golden brown. This will give the challah a crispy crust and a soft and fluffy interior.
Conclusion:
Challah is a delicious and versatile bread that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It is also a popular choice for holiday meals. With a little practice, you can easily make a delicious challah at home. So next time you are in the mood for some fresh-baked bread, give this challah recipe a try.
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