Holiday Challah
Traditional Friday evening Challah is a long loaf, formed from a three, four, or six-strand braid. An example of a basic three strand Challah is found in the initial Friday Baking Project blog on 8/7/2021.
For the upcoming Rosh Hashana holiday, the beginning of the Jewish New Year, the shape of the challah changes to a round, representing the circle of life. To form the circle, I use a method that doesn’t require pulling out your phone and trying to follow a YouTube tutorial. You simply divide the dough in half, roll each half into a long strand, and form the strand into a coil.
For the dough itself, I add just enough golden raisins to make the holiday challah a little sweeter than usual. This follows the custom at Rosh Hashana of eating certain foods, such as apples dipped in honey, to indicate our wish for a sweet year ahead.
I am very proud of this challah recipe. It is the result of much experimentation with different recipes on dough formulation, baking temperature, and baking time. This dough is easy to make and the aroma while baking is amazing. The resulting loaves are flavorful with a lovely, soft interior – the essence of good challah.
Leftover raisin challah is delicious the next day with a light touch of soft butter and morning coffee.
Holiday Challah
| Yield: 2 loaves | # of Servings: 20 | Method: Straight dough |
Ingredients:
- 1 packet (.25 oz / 7 g) active dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cups warm water, approx. 104 °F
- 4 cups (1.2 lb / 545 g) bread flour
- 1 ¼ tsp (0.25 oz / 7 g) kosher salt
- ¼ cup (1.85 oz / 53 g) sugar
- ¼ cup (2 fl oz) canola oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 cup + 1tbl (5 oz / 142 g) bread flour
- ¾ cup (4.2 oz / 119 g) golden raisins
- 1 large egg
Special tools and equipment needed:
- Stand mixer with dough hook, or large mixing bowl.
- Baking sheet (12†by 18†half sheet pan preferred), parchment paper or silpat.
- Scale
- Instant-read thermometer, pastry brush.
Pre-recipe preparations:
- About 45 minutes prior to starting recipe, take three eggs out of refrigerator.
Instructions:
- Pour the warm water into small mixing bowl, whisk in the dry yeast. Place in warm, not hot, spot in kitchen.
- In large mixing bowl, or machine bowl, place the larger amount of flour.
- Make a well in the center of the flour, add the salt, sugar, canola oil, eggs, and egg yolk.
- Mix lightly with heavy spoon.
- Pour in the yeast-water solution. Mix thoroughly with heavy spoon to combine. Let sit for 2 minutes.
- Place bowl on mixer with dough hook. On low speed, start mixing, adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary to make a soft, not sticky dough. (See below for mixing by hand directions).
- Continue to let the machine knead the dough for 2 minutes.
- Add the raisins and knead them thoroughly into the dough.
- Scrape dough onto flour-dusted counter and knead by hand for another minute, until a smooth dough.
- Place dough back in bowl or in a 2 qt. plastic container and cover with a kitchen towel. Let rise in kitchen until doubled in volume.
- Punch it down and remove to work surface.
- Weigh the dough and divide into half.
- Roll each half into a 21†long strand.
- Tuck one end of each strand in at the end, and from into a coil. Repeat with the second strand.
- Place loaves on parchment paper lined baking sheet, and cover with a kitchen towel. If your baking sheet is not big enough, place each loaf on a separate pan, and let one rise in a cooler spot so they aren’t both ready for the oven simultaneously.
- Let rise in warm place until almost double in size, approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour.
- About 15 minutes before loaves are ready, preheat oven to 375 °F
- Beat egg well and brush loaves using a soft pastry brush.
- Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, until nicely browned. The challahs are done when internal temperature registers 196 °F.
- Allow to cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.
Baking tips:
- Always check expiration date on your yeast.
- Rising times for dough (step 10) and formed loaves (step 16) will vary depending on room temperature.
- The 2nd challah may be wrapped in plastic and frozen for Yom Kippur.
Mixing and kneading by hand:
- Using heavy mixing spoon, mix as much of the remaining flour as necessary to make a soft, not sticky dough.
- Scrape dough onto flour-dusted counter and knead by hand for approximately 4 minutes, or until a smooth dough.
- Add raisins and knead for another minute.
