The BEST challah bread recipe you’ll discover, I’ll present you step-by-step find out how to make my Grandmother’s well-known six-strand challah bread, good for the Jewish Sabbath or weekend French toast.
On this Put up: Every thing you want for Shabbat Challah Bread (With Video)
This challah bread recipe hails from my Ema Ljuba, my Bubbe on my dad’s aspect, who’s the matriarch of the Jewish aspect of my household. She spends most of her time in Israel now so we don’t get to see her as usually as we’d like, however each time I bake her challah bread I’m transported to her kitchen in Berkeley, CA the place I discovered find out how to make this irresistible recipe.
Not too long ago my Ema Ljuba has been on the town and my boys ask to see her nearly day-after-day. She has that kind of lasting affect on youngsters, and adults! Effervescent, charismatic, joyful and all the time smiling from ear to ear, Ema Ljuba is probably the most magical grandmother on this planet, and that marvel interprets to her meals. You may style the love!
All about Challah Bread
Challah bread originates in Jap Europe and is a part of Ashkenazi Jewish delicacies. It’s sometimes braided in 4 or 6 strands and eaten on ceremonial events such because the Jewish Shabbat (sunset Friday), and main Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new yr). The feel and consistency of challah bread is much like brioche because of the excessive variety of eggs within the recipe. Gentle, fluffy and eggy, leftovers make the last word French toast or bread pudding! In the event you’ve by no means baked selfmade bread earlier than, I urge you to offer this fool-proof recipe a shot. Consider me, if I’m baking bread (with yeast!), I can guarantee you anybody can do it.
The best way to make a six-strand braided challah bread
To get began, dissolve yeast in heat water in a small bowl or liquid glass measuring cup with 1 tablespoon sugar and put aside.
Notice: You’ll need to use a big sufficient bowl as this combination will begin to develop because the yeast prompts.
Then in a separate giant bowl or stand-mixer base, whisk collectively flour, sugar and salt.
Slowly add your crushed eggs and the water with dissolved yeast and sugar to the big bowl of flour.
Subsequent, pour within the oil or melted butter and blend properly with a picket spoon or with low to medium velocity. If dough doesn’t begin coming collectively, add a bit extra flour, a pair tablespoons at a time, till it pulls away from the bowl. You need the dough to be sticky although.
As soon as the complete mass sticks collectively, end up onto a floured floor and knead by hand for about 5 minutes, including in that final cup of flour as wanted to kind a easy, pliable, shiny ball. This can be a nice time to get out any aggression!
Then drizzle a big bowl with vegetable oil (canola oil works too) and place dough into bowl flipping it over to verify it’s coated with the oil. This can forestall it from sticking. Cowl with a towel and let dough rise at room temperature till doubled in dimension.
As soon as the dough has doubled in dimension, that is the enjoyable half: punch down with a fist and dump onto a evenly floured floor. Knead one or two extra occasions earlier than dividing the dough in half to start forming two braided loaves.
From there, you’ll divide every half into both 3 strands (or 4 or 6 relying on how intricate you need your loaf to be braided.)
Then take your 3 (or 4 or 6) items of dough and roll them out into strands.
Now that the strands have been rolled out, it’s time to start braiding. Just like weaving a pie crust, you’ll need to weave every strand over and underneath the subsequent one.
In the event you’re a visible learner like I’m, take a look at this step-by-step video information I created to braiding challah bread. When you’ve completed braiding the challah, place every loaf on a greased giant baking sheet (or one lined with a silicone baking mat), cowl with a dry towel and let rise a second time.
Lastly, pre-heat oven to 350 levels then brush every loaf with a crushed egg.
In the event you’d like so as to add a topping, that is the time to sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or glowing sugar.
Place each pans within the oven and bake the challah bread for about half-hour or till bread is golden brown on the floor.
Let cool after which get pleasure from your Shabbat Challah Bread!
Components and Substitutions
- All Objective Flour: The excessive gluten content material and lightweight, fluffy consistency of all objective flour is crucial to the proper challah bread recipe. I don’t advocate substituting some other kind of flour for this recipe.
- Dry Energetic Yeast: The key to challah dough that rises right into a tall, lovely loaf is utilizing contemporary lively dry yeast. I like to recommend storing within the fridge in between makes use of to increase the lifetime of the yeast.
- Sugar: White sugar provides the perfect refined sweetness to this brioche-like bread. I wouldn’t substitute with some other sweetener.
- Eggs: The brioche-like texture and density of this bread are because of the excessive variety of eggs within the recipe. That is what separates challah bread from conventional sandwich bread.
- Butter or Oil: We love utilizing butter in our challah bread however oil works simply as advantageous. In the event you’re avoiding dairy, I might use oil in any other case go for butter.
- Toppings: Earlier than baking, sprinkle the challah together with your most popular topping for extra crunch and texture. Nice choices embrace sesame seeds, glowing sugar, poppy seeds or all the pieces seasoning.
Baking suggestions and time savers
One HUGE baking tip: admittedly, I don’t love the large mess that baking bread can create within the kitchen. Seems, neither does my Aunt Sabrina! The answer? All the dough kneading will be achieved in a stand mixer with a dough hook! All of us use and love the traditional KitchenAid stand mixer so if you happen to don’t have one, it’s best to definitely take into consideration including it to your vacation want checklist.
Regularly requested questions:
Why is sugar utilized in Challah bread?
Sugar aids within the proofing of the yeast so it’s a vital ingredient on this recipe. I don’t advocate utilizing any different sweetener.
How lengthy do you let the dough rise?
The dough sometimes takes two hours to rise throughout every proof. I like to recommend letting it sit in a well-oiled bowl in room temperature with a towel or plastic wrap positioned on prime.
What makes challah bread completely different?
Challah bread, if made historically, is pareve and kosher. It doesn’t use any dairy or meat. No milk or butter is often utilized in challah! It additionally makes use of a whole lot of yeast in comparison with different breads, however that provides to the fluffy and lightweight texture!
Whether or not you’re Jewish or not, everybody can get pleasure from my grandma’s scrumptious Shabbat Challah Bread, and I urge you to offer it a attempt!
No forks required.
Shabbat Challah Bread (With Video)
This recipe is a tasty fool-proof recipe that entails no oil on your Jewish Sabbath and is straightforward to make! From my Ema Ljuba.
Servings: loaves
- 1 ½ cups to 2 cups heat water
- 3 tablespoons dry activated yeast
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 6 cups plus 1 cup all objective flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 giant eggs (crushed)
- ½ cup oil or melted butter
- poppy seeds or sesame seeds for topping
- 1 crushed egg
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In a small bowl, dissolve yeast with 1 tablespoon sugar in heat water; put aside.
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In a separate giant bowl, whisk collectively 6 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar and salt.
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Add crushed eggs and the water with dissolved yeast and sugar to the big bowl of flour.
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Stir in oil or melted butter and blend properly with a picket spoon. As soon as the complete mass sticks collectively end up onto a floured floor and knead for about 5 minutes, including in that final cup of flour as wanted to kind a easy, pliable shiny mass. Alternatively, this may be achieved in a stand mixer with a dough hook. Notice: If dough is not coming collectively, add extra flour, a pair tablespoons at a time, till it pulls away from the bowl. You need the dough to be sticky although.
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Oil a big bowl then place dough into bowl flipping it over to verify it’s coated with the oil. Cowl with a towel and let dough rise till doubled in bulk.
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Punch down, knead one or two occasions after which divide dough in half.
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Divide every half into both 3 strands (or 4 or 6 relying on how intricate your loaf braid can be.)
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Place every braided loaf on a greased giant baking sheet (prepare dinner spray works properly), cowl with a dry towel and let rise a second time till loaves are double in dimension.
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Pre-heat oven to 350 levels. Brush every loaf with a crushed egg, sprinkle poppy seeds or sesame seeds if you want.
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Bake for about half-hour or till bread is golden brown on the floor.
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
Energy: 167kcalCarbohydrates: 26.9gProtein: 4.5gFats: 4.5gSaturated Fats: 2.5gPolyunsaturated Fats: 2gLdl cholesterol: 48mgSodium: 303mgFiber: 0.6gSugar: 5.2g
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