A Whole Lot of Challah

According to Bereishit Rabbah, when Hashem wished to create man, he mixed some earth and water together to form a dough and shaped Adam. The Sages thus called him “the challah of the world,” a mixture of physical and spiritual formed by the “Hand” of G-d. After Adam and Chava sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, they brought death to the world, thereby spoiling the “challah.” Elevating the dough through the mitzvah of hafrashat challah (tithing the dough) is a special opportunity to rectify this sin. Come Tishrei, with prayers and hopes for bettering ourselves and mankind in the New Year, challah really takes center stage symbolically. Round challahs, representing the continuous cycle of life, are lovingly dipped in honey, an edible prayer toward sweet tidings in the hopeful year to come.

The origin for the mitzvah of separating a portion of challah (or any bread) comes from the commandment in Bamidbar (Parashat Shelach) which commands a portion of dough to be tithed and given to the kohanim who served in the Beit Hamikdash. Our “reishit” (our first flow of sustenance) is given back to Hashem, an opportunity to reveal Hashem as the source for that outpouring of blessing. When we exhibit faith that Hashem will continually sustain us despite our sacrificing a portion of our food, we further invite blessing into our lives, as it says in Sefer Yechezkel (44:30), “You shall give to the kohen the first of your dough, that a blessing shall rest on your home.” Yechezkel refers not only to the outpouring of additional sustenance, but to the blessing of peace and harmony: the resting of the Divine presence on your home.

Homemade challah for the holidays is definitely a special treat (even if baking is not your thing the rest of the year), the delicious aromas filling the house, a taste of the holiness of Shabbos. Challah-making also offers a unique opportunity to connect spiritually, taking advantage of the eit ratzon, an auspicious time to pray on behalf of others. Many women organize groups to bake challah in order to merit a positive change for someone else, whether as a segulah for meriting children, for a refuah or for parnassah. Challah is not a “magic pill” to get the desired results; rather, by engaging ourselves in the mitzvah which represents the restoration of life to the world and using it as a vehicle for prayer, Hashem will direct those merits toward restoring the life of an individual in need.

May the delicious smells of challah fill your homes and may the mitzvah of hafrashat challah be a merit for peace among all of Klal Yisrael.

Round and Round: Tips for Shaping

1. Spiral (snake): The easiest and most ubiquitous round shape. Simply hold in place one end of a long strand of dough and then wrap the strand around itself like a spiral. For a more intricate look, braid the long strand first before wrapping it around.

2. Pull apart: Form small balls of dough (about 10–12). Place in concentric circles (leaving ½ inch in between each other) in a greased round baking pan. The balls will grow into each other during baking to form one round challah and easily pull apart after baked.

3. Challah & honey ring: Spray an ovenproof ramekin with nonstick spray and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roll out a long strand of dough, fold in half and then twist into a twisted rope. Wrap the rope around the ramekin and pinch to seal. Brush with egg wash and bake. When completely cool, remove the ramekin and replace with a small bowl of honey. (This can also be shaped with balls of dough like the pull apart above.)

Challah
Photos: Baila Gluck

Challah

Yields 8 medium challahs

Prep Time: 45–60 minutes plus rising time (3.5 hours)

Cook Time: 25–35 minutes

Difficulty: Worth the Wait

Freezer Friendly

There is nothing like sinking your hands into a large vat of dough and the rhythmic pushing and pulling of kneading dough. We each leave our own “ta’am” (taste) in the food we make, and it is an earthy process that grounds me each and every time. While I love to make my dough by hand, this recipe can also be made in a large-capacity electric mixer (like Bosch or Magic Mill).

Chef’s Note

Do ahead. Challah can be frozen for up to 3 months in zip-top freezer bags. Unbaked braided challahs can also be frozen: Freeze on baking sheets to set shape. Once frozen, wrap in plastic wrap and store in zip-top freezer bags. Thaw on baking sheet prior to baking.

4 cups warm water

2 (2-ounce) bars fresh yeast (or 5 packets (¼ cup) active dry yeast)

1 tablespoon sugar, plus 2 cups sugar

1 (5-pound) bag bread (“high-gluten”) flour

1½ tablespoons salt

5 large eggs

1¼ cups canola oil

For egg wash: 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Optional toppings: Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, bagel spice, zaatar, etc.

Proof: Combine water, yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand for 5–10 minutes (in a warm spot in your kitchen or even on the open door of a preheated 200°F oven!). The mixture will be bubbly and/or foamy (if nothing is happening after 20 minutes, something is wrong with your yeast; discard and start over).

Mix dry: Place flour in a very large bowl and mix to blend. Reserve 2 cups of the flour and set aside for later use. Stir in 2 cups sugar and salt to blend. Push the mixture to the sides of your bowl, creating a well in the center.

Add wet: Pour the yeast mixture, 5 eggs and oil into the well. Mix with a long mixing spoon until you can no longer stir it.

Knead: Continue to knead the dough by hand until it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl, while slowly adding in small amounts of flour as needed from the reserved 2 cups. The dough should be smooth and elastic. If the dough is very sticky, add in some more flour. (Do not exceed using the 2 cups of reserved flour. If you have used up the 2 cups and the dough is still very sticky, add a little bit of oil.)

Rise: Rub the top of the dough with oil to coat. Cover with a clean towel; rise for 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in bulk. Punch down, replace towel and rise for another 1½ hours. Punch the dough down again, and turn onto a lightly floured surface. At this point, you can do the mitzvah of hafrashat challah.

Shape: Preheat oven to 350°F degrees. Divide the dough into 8 portions (or as many loaves/rolls as you would like to make depending on the size). Shape or braid each portion as desired and place onto prepared baking sheets. Repeat with all remaining dough.

Bake: Brush challahs with egg wash. Sprinkle with a topping if desired. Bake challahs 25–35 minutes until golden brown and challah sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on wire racks.

Chef’s Note

Short on time with no time to wait for rising? Give your dough a slow-rise overnight in the refrigerator (cold temperatures retards the rate of rising).

Chocolate Babka Variation

Use one portion of challah dough for a delicious babka: Combine ½ cup Dutch cocoa, ½ cup sugar, ⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar, and ⅓ cup chocolate chips in a small bowl. Mix to blend; set aside.

Using floured rolling pin and surface, roll out dough into a very large rectangle (approximately 10×16 inches) to ⅛–¼-inch thickness.

Drizzle 1–2 tablespoons oil over dough, spreading a thin sheet of oil over the whole rolled out dough. Generously sprinkle chocolate mixture evenly over dough.

Carefully roll up dough lengthwise, bend roll in half and twist. Place twisted roll in loaf or challah pan lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with streusel topping if desired. Bake for 25–35 minutes at 350°F degrees until top is nicely browned and filling is bubbling.

Gluten-Free Oat Challah

Yields 2 large challahs, 4 mini challahs or  18 challah muffins

Prep Time: 20–25 minutes plus rising time (30–60 minutes)

Cook Time: 30–35 minutes for challahs/20 minutes for challah muffins

Difficulty: Easy Peasy

Gluten Free/Freezer Friendly

Of all the foods my daughter had to give up when she was diagnosed with celiac disease, challah was the hardest. So many gluten-free products have been developed over the years that can simulate and replace gluten recipes . . . but the taste and texture of challah is hard to achieve. After over 10 years of trying different versions and tweaking, this is my humble attempt.

Chef’s Note

Gluten-free “dough” is more of a batter. It will be too sticky to shape into a traditional braided loaf. For the braided challah “look,” use a greased silicone challah mold. Bake ⅔ of cooking time, then invert onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush with egg and finish baking to brown “braided” top.

1½ cups gluten-free oat flour

3 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill)

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons xantham gum

½ cup almond milk (or soy milk), warmed

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon yeast

5 eggs

½ cup oil

 cup honey

1 cup seltzer

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

For egg wash: 1 egg, beaten

Optional toppings: Sesame seeds, poppy seeds or bagel spice

Grease 2 challah molds and line 2 loaf pans with parchment paper. If making muffins, grease muffin pan or insert paper muffin cups.

Dry mix: In a large bowl, combine oat flour, gluten-free flour, salt, baking powder and xantham gum; whisk to blend. Set aside.

Proof: In a small bowl, mix together almond or soy milk, sugar and yeast. Mix until blended and yeast is dissolved. Set aside for yeast to proof, approximately 5 minutes—mixture should look foamy.

Wet mix: Meanwhile, combine the 5 eggs, oil, honey, seltzer and vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix until blended. Add proofed yeast mixture and mix to blend. Gradually add the dry mixture by the cupful to the wet mixture, beating on low speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix at high speed for 3–5 minutes, until the dough becomes a very thick, sticky, and slightly gelatinous batter.

Rise: Cover bowl with a clean towel; rise for 30–60 minutes.

Bake: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Scoop batter and transfer to prepared pans, filling to mold/pan or muffin cup capacity. Brush with egg wash; sprinkle with desired toppings. Bake challahs until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 30–35 minutes (or 20–22 minutes for challah muffins). Transfer to a rack to cool.

*The berachah rishonah for this bread (of which ⅓ of the flour is oats [one of the Five Grains] and ⅔ is other grains such as rice or corn [not from the Five Grains] is Hamotzi, but to be able to bentch, one must eat 3 kezeitim (approximately the size of an 1 ½ eggs) of bread within a timespan of 3–4 minutes. If one uses a gluten-free flour made from wheat starch, it would be like regular bread.

Very Honey–Whole Wheat Challah

Very Honey–Whole Wheat Challah

Yields 8 medium challahs

Prep Time: 45–60 minutes plus rising time (3.5 hours)

Cook Time: 25–30 minutes

Difficulty: Worth the Wait

Freezer Friendly

A healthier version, combining 50 percent white and 50 percent whole wheat flour gives this bread a much lighter feel combined with the earthy flavor of honey.

4¼ cups warm water (“wrist temperature”)

2 (2-ounce) bars fresh yeast (or 5 packets/¼ cup active dry yeast)

1 tablespoon honey or sugar

7½ cups high-gluten (bread) flour (about 2½ pounds)

7½ cups whole wheat flour (about 2½ pounds)

¼ cup sugar

1½ tablespoons salt

1¼ cup canola oil

1½ cup honey

5 eggs

For egg wash: 1 egg, beaten, or 2 egg whites, beaten and mixed with 1 teaspoon honey (for a little extra sweetness)

Optional toppings: Coarse or raw sugar, pumpkin seeds, rolled oats, etc.

Proof: Combine water, yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar/honey in a medium bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand for 5–10 minutes (in a warm spot in your kitchen or even on the open door of a preheated 200°F oven!). The mixture will be bubbly and/or foamy (if nothing is happening after 20 minutes, something is wrong with your yeast; discard and start over).

Mix dry: Place flours in a very large bowl and mix to blend. Reserve 2 cups of the flour and set aside for later use. Stir in ¼ cup sugar and salt to blend. Push the mixture to the sides of your bowl, creating a well in the center.

Add wet: Pour the yeast mixture, 5 eggs, honey and oil into the well. Mix with a long mixing spoon until you can no longer stir it.

Knead: Continue to knead the dough by hand until it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl, while slowly adding in small amounts of flour as needed from the reserved 2 cups. The dough should be smooth and elastic. If the dough is very sticky, add in some more flour. (Do not exceed using the 2 cups of reserved flour. If you have used up the 2 cups and the dough is still very sticky, add a little bit of oil.)

Rise: Rub the top of the dough with oil to coat. Cover with a clean towel; rise for 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in bulk. Punch down, replace towel and rise for another 1½ hours. Punch the dough down again, and turn onto a lightly floured surface. At this point, you can do the mitzvah of hafrashat challah.

Shape: Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide the dough into 8 portions (or as many loaves/rolls as you would like to make depending on the size). Shape or braid each portion as desired and place onto prepared baking sheets. Repeat with all remaining dough.

Bake: Brush challahs with egg wash. Sprinkle with a topping. Bake challahs 25–35 minutes until golden brown and challah sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on wire racks.

Naomi Ross is a cooking instructor and food writer based in Woodmere, New York. She teaches classes throughout the country and writes articles connecting good cooking and Jewish inspiration. She is the author of The Giving Table (New York: Menucha Publishers, 2022).

The above challah recipes first appeared in Naomi Ross’s The Giving Table (New York: Menucha Publishers, 2022).