by Rivka
View
my 41 recipes »
A&M's Testing Notes:
Expand CollapseRivka's Notes:
Expand1 1/2 cup warm water, divided Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided Ask a question about this ingredient
2 tablespoons instant (powdered) yeast Ask a question about this ingredient
6 cups flour -- either all white or half white whole wheat Ask a question about this ingredient
2 teaspoons salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 cup mild honey, plus an extra tablespoon for eggwash, if desired Ask a question about this ingredient
2/3 cups flavorless vegetable or canola oil Ask a question about this ingredient
4 eggs, plus one yolk for eggwash, if desired Ask a question about this ingredient
1 pinch ground cardamom, optional Ask a question about this ingredient
Put 1 cup warm water in a small bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar, sprinkle the yeast over top, swirl the bowl just to combine, and leave it to proof for five minutes.
Ask a question about this stepWhile yeast is proofing, mix flour, salt, 1/4 cup of sugar and cardamom, if using, in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.) Stir to incorporate or blend on low speed.
Ask a question about this stepIn a medium bowl, mix remaining water, honey, oil, and eggs.
Ask a question about this stepWhen yeast has finished proofing, add it to the flour, immediately followed by wet ingredients. Mix with a large wooden spoon or on medium-low speed in the mixer, just until combined, about 30 seconds.
Ask a question about this stepSwitch to dough hook and begin to knead on low speed, making sure to incorporate what's at the bottom of the bowl if the dough hook misses it. If kneading by hand, stir using spoon until dough becomes to thick to stir. Empty dough onto well-floured surface and knead by hand. Knead dough until smooth and no longer sticky, adding flour with a light hand as needed, 7-10 minutes.
Ask a question about this stepSplit the dough into two equal pieces. Set each in a large oiled bowl, cover both bowls with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size. If using white flour, this should take about 2-2.5 hours. If using white whole wheat, it will take closer to 3.5 or 4. Feel free to let the dough rise in the refrigerator overnight instead; if you do this, be sure to set out the dough in plenty of time before shaping, so it can come to room temperature.
Ask a question about this stepPreheat oven to 375.
Ask a question about this stepAfter the rise, the dough should be soft and pliable. Separate each mound of dough into three equal balls, for a total of six. Roll each ball into a log almost 1-foot long. Braid the logs together to create your loaf. For the nicest-looking braid, do not pinch the top edges of your logs together before braiding; simply place one log over the next and braid until you reach the bottom, then pinch those edges together. Then, flip the unfinished loaf the long way, so that the unfinished edge is now at the bottom and the loaf has been flipped over and upside down. Finish braiding and pinch these edges together. This way, both ends look identical. Tuck the very tips beneath the loaf when braiding is finished. Repeat with second loaf.
Ask a question about this stepPut each loaf on its own silpat-lined baking sheet. If using eggwash, mix yolk with a 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon honey. Brush over loaves.
Ask a question about this stepBake at 375 degrees for 20-22 minutes, until challot are golden and baked through.
Ask a question about this stepWow, what an interesting idea! I love cardamom in almost everything, but do you think I can sneak it past the rest of my family? Is the flavor subtle or fairly distinct? They're pretty vanilla when it comes to their challah (no, not in their challah ;)
Try adding a little, maybe 1/2 tsp, it won't be too overpowering. I've also added dried fruit or berries chopped very small, it give it a Christmastime feel.
Very similar to my Finnish Pulla bread, it is spiked with cardamom and I like to do an eggwash and sprinkle turbino sugar on top. So delicious as a breakfast toast with butter and preserves :)
I made a similar recipe for Rosh Hashanah using KA Bread flour and had disastrous results - so sad after all the time and effort...is all purpose flour preferred here?
oh, no - that's strange. Bread flour contains more gluten (usually in the 12-15% range), so if anything, it should produce a more well-developed dough structure. Did the dough not rise? What was the issue?
This looks so beautiful! I've never made challah and it's been on my list of "to make" items for a long time. Looks like it's time to make it with your wonderful-sounding recipe! Congrats on the Wild Card pick!!!
Thanks, ChezSuzanne! Challah definitely needs to be bumped up on your must-make list. It's pretty delicious. And challah french toast is an absolute must as well.
thanks, mcs3000 - the cardamom is pretty delicious. I'll confess to upping it myself sometimes.
Congratulations, Rivka! This looks perfectly lovely. And the timing couldn't be better, as I was just commenting on bella s.f.'s Grand Marnier French Toast recipe the other day, saying that I need to make some challah this week, to make that French toast for Mr. T this weekend. I'm so looking forward to trying this! ;o)
beautiful -- i can't wait to try this out!
Congratulations Rivka this is beautiful and I can't wait to make it.
Thanks, sdebrango, and everyone else! Really excited to see Ima's challah featured here. Shana tova to everyone celebrating!
Congratulations, Rivka! What a gorgeous bread. I love challah and can't wait to try your version (with the cardamom- yum!)
Congrat Rivka! I've always wanted to make challah and your recipe seems like a great place to start.
Congratulations, Rivka, and happy new year! ( i have to try this...love the white whole wheat flour, too.)
Holla for the challah! (sorry - i couldn't resist!) Love the KA White Whole Wheat. Can't wait to give this a try. Congrats, Rivka! and Happy New Year!
P.S. Have you ever tried it with Active Dry Yeast?
Lovely, lovely and so well-deserved...Happy New Year!
Thanks, Panfusine! And of course, thanks to Ima - couldn't have done it without her. :)
Just came across this recipe and I am intrigued by the addition of cardamom. Right now, I'm on a chulent/hamin mission, making a new chulent every week till we find a new favorite. But when we're done with this mission, I think I may embark on a mission to find a new challah recipe. I make challah every week and while we love our recipe, it might be time for a change. I like the sound of yours because it's a lot like mine with just a few changes. Mine also uses honey and lots of eggs!
Question for you - have you ever made it with five pounds of flour? If yes, did you figure out the quantities for a 5 lb. recipe?
Thanks!
I, too, love the cardamom addition in this recipe -- gives it a little unexpected spice. If you assume 5 oz for every 1 cup flour, 5 pounds of flour = 80 oz = 16 cups. This recipe calls for 6 cups, so it's not the easiest to make using a 5-pound-of-flour conversion ratio, but if you want to use exactly 5 pounds, you'd make double-and-one-third (2 1/3) the recipe here. You could also either double or triple, which would overshoot or undershoot slightly. Best of luck!
Thanks for the conversion tips, Rivka. I like to make five pounds because my kids seem to get VERY hungry when I bring out the Challah. They eat a TON of it. If I make five pounds I stand a chance of having enough challah for a couple of weeks. :)
Just made this - what a wonderful, easy dough... and one of my braids looks "professional" (the others, shall we say, rustic). Rivka, how big is your mixer? My 4.5 quart kitchenaid wasn't quite up to this task -- the dough went too high on the dough hook.
Hey Allie, Glad you liked the challah dough. I think my bowl is a 5-quart, and while it definitely fills the bowl, I've never had a problem with overflow -- so sorry you did! Truth be told, this dough kneads quite easily by hand, if you're inclined to try that the next time. Happy baking!
I made this recipe and it worked perfectly! (My first time making challah - Ima knows what she's doing!) I only had a tablespoon or two of honey, but that didn't make much difference. I tried a 6 piece braid on the first loaf and botched it half way through, so the second loaf turned into sweet rolls, which were delicious. One thing I have a question about: Does it really need 2 tablespoons of yeast? Seems like a lot to me.
Hi Nancy, glad you liked the challah! The large amount of yeast compensates for the shorter rising time. If you want to cut the yeast to 1 tablespoon, you'll need to let the dough rise for - and I'm estimating here - about double the time. Let us know if you do it.
Miranda is an editor at Food52.
This is the most delicious bread. The recipe is very forgiving and comes out perfect every time! Of course my Kitchenaid mixer does all the hard work. I love this bread...
thank you. Lisa