How to bake challah in the oven. Soviet challah - Jewish challah
Every national cuisine can proudly boast a traditional baking recipe, and more than one. But how many types of bread can you list, besides the usual Borodino bread, ciabatta or baguette? Meanwhile, each culture bakes it differently.
Traditional Jewish challah bread, the recipe for which we offer you, is prepared on Saturdays and holidays. Its name comes from the commandments of the holy Torah. Beautiful, rich, aromatic and tasty - that’s all about it. Do you want to feel like you are part of an ancient culture and enjoy the great taste of baked goods? Then go to the kitchen. There is nothing complicated in cooking.
What products will be needed?
Dairy products of any kind are generally not used to make bread called challah. The Jewish (traditional) recipe is based on a large amount of fresh eggs, premium white flour, water, yeast, salt and sugar. In our case, it is slightly modernized.
So, in order to prepare three large braids for a family or group of friends, you will need the following ingredients:
- 3 chicken eggs (medium size);
- 230 ml light olive oil;
- 2 tbsp. l. dry yeast;
- 1 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- 600 ml warm water;
- 1 tbsp. l. salt
- 1000 g of white sifted flour;
- 200 g honey.
The dough from which real challah is prepared (see recipe with photo below) requires a lot of space, as it greatly increases in volume during the proofing process. So prepare a large bowl in advance. In addition, you will need for greasing one egg, 1 tbsp. l. honey, 1 tsp. olive oil.
Knead the dough
Pour half the amount of warm water indicated in the ingredients into a bowl. Then add sugar and yeast. Stir, but do not try to bring it to a uniform consistency; the formation of lumps at this stage is normal. Leave the mixture for 15 minutes before continuing further.
Once the time is up, add the remaining water, olive oil, eggs, honey and salt to the bowl. Mix well and start adding flour in portions. You can add one or two cups at a time. Mix the ingredients carefully and watch carefully. As soon as the dough begins to “gather” into a lump, reduce the amount of flour added. You may not need all the quantities listed in the ingredients, or you may need a little more.
Challah is a bread whose recipe is known to any Jewish housewife, but do not look for the quantity of products indicated as in the pharmacy. You should independently understand the readiness of the dough by its soft and elastic (not sticky) structure.
About Jewish traditions
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth towel or cling film and place in a warm place. After about an hour and a half, the dough will double in volume and be ready to use.
If real challah is prepared, the recipe (Jewish) with a photo of which we offer, then believers follow a certain tradition. The dough, after it has risen, needs to be kneaded, doing this in one sharp movement. Then let stand for 10 minutes. And only after this the mitzvah is pinched off, which is the name given to a small piece of dough that is burned at the very end of making bread. This was originally done as an offering to the Temple.
Braiding hair
The finished dough must be divided into three equal parts, each of them will be a separate challah. If this amount is too much for you, then do not use all of it, but use the leftover dough to make challah buns. The dough recipe is so versatile that it can be used in different ways. This is also tasty and unusual, children really like it.
Roll out each of the three parts of the dough lengthwise and cut into three more equal ropes. Now they are ready for rolling. Squeeze the strands on one side together and begin weaving. This is not difficult, and anyone who has ever braided hair can do it - just make repeated movements of crossing the outer strands over the middle one.
Start on the right side, pull a strip of dough into the middle and overlap it with the left, then repeat the cycle from the beginning. To make the challah look even and beautiful, tuck the ends inward, under the bread.
Making buns
Rolling challah into rolls is a little easier. Cut a piece of dough into four equal parts and roll each of them out. Tuck the sides slightly inward, as shown in the photo, this will prevent the buns from unrolling during baking. Then twist the tourniquet into a snail. Tuck the “tail” of the dough inside, it will be more beautiful.
Baking challah
The traditional Jewish challah, the recipe for which you see, must rise again before the baking process. To do this, carefully transfer the buns and braid onto a greased baking sheet. Leave plenty of room for each, as they will expand greatly in size. Immediately before placing the challah in the oven, you need to grease its surface with a mixture of egg, honey and olive oil. This will crisp up the crust and give it a nice golden color. At this same stage, the dough is often sprinkled with sesame or poppy seeds, but this is a matter of taste.
Bake challah for about 45 minutes in the oven at a temperature of 190-200 degrees. For small buns, the time will be approximately half as long. Cool the bread gradually.
How to Serve Challah
Challah is a traditional recipe, known since time immemorial. Fragrant and fluffy bread is usually served at the festive table. Various vegetable or sweet spreads and hummus will make him good company. Try, for example, a healthy and tasty spinach snack.
It's easy to prepare. Fry diced onions, 1-2 cloves of garlic in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and add chopped spinach (one medium bunch). Bring the greens until soft, then transfer to a food processor, add salt and mayonnaise (homemade is best), and process until smooth. Spread the spinach paste on the challah pieces and enjoy the great taste.
In some Jewish communities, it is customary to bake challah a week after Passover (the main Jewish holiday). It is made in the shape of a regular key or wrapped in a special wrapper. Such bread is considered a good sign and tradition in the financial sector. A real key, such as a house key, can be placed in the challah when baking.
Description
Jewish challah bread- traditional Shabbat pastry, known to Jews since ancient times. Previously, even in the most difficult times, every Jewish family baked challah on Saturdays. Nowadays this tradition is not observed so strictly, and challah has changed from a ritual one to an ordinary pastry, loved not only by Jews.
To properly bake challah at home, you must follow several rules. Firstly, do not overdo it with yeast (no more than 4-5 g of pressed yeast per 100 g of flour). Secondly, let the dough rest well, and then correctly form the bun (this point is described in detail in our step-by-step recipe with photos). Well, and thirdly, bake challah without convection and be sure to brush it with egg or milk so that the crust does not tear as the dough expands. Otherwise, preparing traditional Jewish challah is unlikely to cause you any difficulties.
Keep in mind that the indicated quantity of products is enough for 4 challahs the size of a store-bought loaf. If you don’t need that much Jewish bread, take 2-4 times less food.
Let's get started!
Ingredients
-
(4-5 tbsp.) -
(3 tsp) -
(1/2 tbsp.) -
(3 pcs.) -
(1 tbsp.) -
(2 tsp) -
(1 tbsp. boiling water + 1/3 tbsp. warm) -
(1 tbsp.)
Cooking steps
We prepare all the necessary products.
We dilute the yeast in warm water until it foams slightly. Separately beat 2 eggs. In a separate container, combine granulated sugar and salt with vegetable oil, pour in a glass of boiling water and stir everything well. Add a little cold water and stir again.
First, combine the yeast with the eggs, mix, and then pour in the butter-sugar-salt mixture and mix again.
Sift flour into the mixture and knead the dough. Knead it thoroughly until it begins to freely lag behind your hands and the work surface. Send the dough to a warm place to proof for 2 hours.
During this time, the challah dough should rise well and approximately double in volume.
After this, knead it thoroughly again.
Then we divide the dough into quarters, and each of them into 3 more parts. Roll all 12 resulting pieces into balls and leave to rest for 6 minutes (during this time, the torn gluten will have time to recover, so the challah will not be damaged during baking). After this, we press the balls with our hands, turning them into flat cakes, thereby expelling excess air from the dough. Roll the flatbreads into ropes with pointed ends and a thicker center.
By braiding 3 flagella into braids, we form 4 challahs.
Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and leave to rise for about ¾ of an hour.
After that, brush each bread with egg, sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds and bake for 35 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 degrees. About halfway through the process, reduce the heat to 160 degrees. At this point you can already turn on convection.
Remove the prepared challah to a wire rack, cover with a cloth and cool.
We serve Jewish bread sliced at the table.
This challah is perfect for first and second courses instead of standard bread. Although it is no less tasty on its own, especially if you spread it with your favorite jam.
Bon appetit!
Challah is a Jewish holiday bread made from rich dough using yeast. The word "challah" comes from the name of one of the 613 commandments from the Pentateuch, which is performed when kneading dough for holiday bread. The mitzvah is called challah or the separation of challah.
Previously, even in the most difficult times, on Saturdays, Shabbat, every Jewish family baked challah. Nowadays this tradition is no longer observed so strictly, and challah has changed from a ritual one to become a regular pastry, loved not only by Jews.
So, today we are baking wonderful, delicious Jewish bread - challah.
Pour yeast and sugar into warm water and stir.
I add an egg and 2 yolks (room temperature), stir well.
I introduce flour in parts.
When it becomes difficult to mix the dough, I add sunflower oil in parts. The dough turns out soft, smooth, slightly sticky to your hands. I grease the cup with a small amount of sunflower oil, put the dough in it, cover it with a towel and put it in a warm place for 60 minutes.
This is how the dough rose after an hour. I knead it and again put it in a warm place to rise for 60 minutes. The dough should double in size.
Challah is woven in the shape of a braid. For weaving, you can use from three to six strands. I will weave from 3, so I divided the dough into 6 equal parts (for 2 challahs), the weight of one part was 120 g. I roll each piece into a ball, cover with a towel and leave for 10 minutes “to rest.” Then, one by one, I knead the balls with my fingers into cakes.
I fold the ends of the cake to the middle and press the workpiece a little with my hand.
I fold it in half.
And I roll out the blanks one by one in 2 stages. First I roll small sausages. I rolled out the first sausage, put it aside, I take on the second one, while the first one is “resting”. Then I begin to roll it out again, into ropes 40 cm long. I make the ends thinner and the middle thicker.
I start braiding my hair. I take 3 pieces, fasten the ends at the top and braid, and fasten the end at the bottom.
I place the pieces on a baking sheet, cover with a towel and leave on the table for 1.5-2 hours for final proofing.
I grease the challah with a mixture of yolk and milk. I sprinkle with sesame seeds and poppy seeds and bake in an oven preheated to 170-190 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Focus on your oven.
This is how the challahs turned out. Very airy, soft and very tasty.
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| dough |
| 380 g flour |
| 42 g fresh yeast |
| 125 ml milk |
| 75 g butter |
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| Dana |
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| Opara |
| 200 g premium flour |
| 200 g milk or water (40 C) |
| 8 g fresh yeast |
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| Tata |
| Ingredients (12) |
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| 1 chicken (about 1.5 kg) |
| 5 medium onions (about 600 g) |
| 5 cloves of garlic (about 50 g) |
| 1 tbsp. tso (or tamarind paste) or 1 tbsp. l.narsharab and dark balsamic vinegar |
| 3 tbsp. l. satsebeli (or 1 tbsp tomato paste) |
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| DOUGH:2 CUPS FLOUR |
| HALF A GLASS OF SUGAR |
| 80 GR. BUTTER OR MARGARINE |
| 1 EGG |
| 4 TABLESPOONS OF THICK SOUR CREAM (KEFIR) |
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| 5.5 cups flour |
| 2 eggs |
| 370 ml water |
| 25 g butter |
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| Vika |
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| For the dough |
| 1 cup warm whey (or 1/2 milk + 1/2 water) |
| 1/4 cup applesauce |
| 3/4 cup bread flour |
| 1/4 cup fine semolina or semolina |
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| Tatiana |
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| 300 ml warm milk |
| 800 g flour |
| approximately 40 g butter |
| 2 tbsp. spoons of sugar (or can be replaced with honey) |
| 1 yolk |
Challah is a rich twisted loaf made from white yeast dough, a traditional holiday pastry in Jewish culture.
I bake challah at work weekly (every Friday) because I work and it's part of my responsibilities. Accordingly, I have an excellent recipe for making challah, very simple, tested many times and 100% successful.
Challah according to my recipe turns out fluffy and tasty. I myself, being a child, don’t eat or even try yeast baked goods, but the children and their parents bite my challah on both cheeks and praise it very much.
So, to prepare challah dough we will need (per 1 kg of flour):
- premium wheat flour 1 kg;
- eggs 2 pcs;
- sugar 1 glass;
- refined, odorless vegetable oil 0.5 cups (in Israel it is customary to put canola oil in the dough, it is from rapeseed, but I think any vegetable oil will do);
- granulated baker's yeast 0.5 sachets;
- very hot water 1.5 cups (initially, when the recipe came to me, it contained 1.75 cups of water per 1 kg of flour, but experimentally I realized that this is a lot; it is better to use no more than one and a half cups).
We usually use chocolate paste as a filling. Children love challah with chocolate. But a couple of times I made it with cinnamon and sugar.
If you want to increase the portion, then you need to multiply the number of products.
I usually knead the dough from 4 kg of flour, multiplying all numbers by 4 accordingly. That is, I have 4 kg of flour, 8 eggs, 4 cups of sugar, 2 packets of yeast, 2 cups of refined vegetable oil and 6 cups of very hot water. But this is for a large number of people (a piece of challah for 35 children, for their parents who came to pick up the child from kindergarten, and also a small challah for 5-6 staff members to take home). For an ordinary family, I think a dough made from 1 kg of flour is enough. 🙂
Preparation of challah dough:
Step 1. Sift flour through a sieve. I always sift the flour. This way it is filled with oxygen and the dough turns out more airy and fluffy. When my less experienced colleague prepares the dough and does not sift the flour, she, in her own words, does it worse. Don't be lazy and don't skip this important step. Then everything will go easier.
Pour about 3/4 of the flour into the bowl in which you prepare the dough. And leave 1/4 aside temporarily.
Use a large bowl, as the dough rises and increases in volume.
This is what risen yeast dough looks like. It has increased in size approximately 4 times and is about to “escape” from the pelvis. Photo from kindergarten. Step 2. In the bowl where we have the flour, add sugar, yeast, oil, and beat in the eggs. By the way, here in Israel it is customary to eat only those eggs that do not contain a drop of blood. Otherwise it's not kosher. In keeping with the traditions of the country I now live in, I make sure there is no blood in the eggs before pouring them into the batter.
Step 3. Now it’s the turn of the water. Water should be poured into the bowl gradually, stirring the dough with a spoon. In the kindergarten, we use regular hot water from the tap (our water supply is of high quality, no filters are needed). We open the hot water tap to maximum, wait until the cool water flows, and then, when very hot water flows (it even hurts to put your hand under it), fill the glass - and immediately into the dough.
At first, when I was taught this method, I was shocked. It seemed to me that the hot water would definitely cook the flour and the eggs would curdle. And most importantly, I didn’t understand why this was needed at all? Why not use ?
They explained to me that nothing bad will happen with hot water if you pour it in while mixing the ingredients, but hot water is needed to heat the dough. This way it rises faster. I tried it and, after nothing bad happened the first, second, or third time, I calmed down and continued to use hot water to knead the challah dough automatically.
Step 4. Now that we have all the ingredients except a quarter of the flour mixed, we have a dough with the consistency of very thick sour cream. Now you can add the remaining quarter and finish the dough. You need to add little by little, stirring with your hand. You won't be able to stir with a spoon anymore.
At this stage, I like to add flour closer to the perimeter of the bowl, while simultaneously kneading in the direction from the walls of the bowl to the center. As a result, I get a beautiful dough that is no longer sticky, shaped like a loaf of bread, and does not stick to the edges of the bowl. The edges of the bowl are clean, lightly dusted with flour. But you can knead the way you like best and are more familiar.
Why did we even set aside a quarter of the flour? Why didn't you add all the flour in the first place? Answer: this makes it easier to mix and achieve the desired final state of the dough. I won’t dwell on this, if someone doesn’t understand, we’ll correspond in the comments.
Advice. Don't start making the dough with only the amount of flour called for in the recipe. Always have a small supply. For example, I use 4 kilograms of flour just for kneading, and then, during the process of forming the buns, a couple more handfuls are used to sprinkle the table.
Step 5. Cover the dough (and it is warm and pleasant, by the way) with a lid or bag and place in a warm place for a couple of hours. I don't mean the battery. I mean normal room temperature, without drafts.
During this time, the dough will rise well, increasing in volume three to four times. It must be kneaded a couple of times, sprinkled with flour first, and kneaded. This will ensure that the dough components, as well as the gases released by the yeast, are well distributed.
Step 6 (optional). Now you can bake. But I usually make the dough the day before and bake it the next day. Therefore, to prevent the dough from turning sour, I put it in the refrigerator until the morning.
If you have a similar situation, then remember that you need to put the dough in the refrigerator, first tying it together with the bowl in a large bag. Otherwise, even if it rises in the cold, it will break out from under the lid and stain the walls of your refrigerator. 🙂
The next morning, you need to take the bag with the bowl out of the refrigerator, untie it, knead the dough back into the bowl, dusting it with flour. And let it stand for a while at room temperature. Let it come again.
Step 7 (braiding challah). Tear off three small pieces of dough and roll into balls. Dust the table with flour.
Roll out the balls into thin elongated cakes. The thickness of the dough should be about 3 mm. Maximum – 5 mm.
Spread chocolate spread on each cake. I don’t have much chocolate in the photo (I just ran out of it and couldn’t spread it thicker). But, ideally, spread twice as much.
Roll each flatbread into a tube. Connect the tubes at one end into something like a bundle. Squeeze it with your fingers and mold it so that it holds well.
Braid a braid from these tubes. Also squeeze the second end of the braid with your fingers and secure it well.
Place the prepared challah on a baking sheet, lined with baking paper. Brush with beaten egg.
Step 8 (baking challah). Place the baking sheet with challah in the oven. Bake at 170 degrees for half an hour (approximately).
Step 9 (eating challah). Challah is ready. Here, act at your own discretion. 🙂
My husband says it's very tasty. Looking at him, I believe. But I don't want to try. I prefer not to eat sugar, wheat flour or yeast.
If you eat rich pastries, then I wish you to enjoy the taste of challah. If you don’t eat, enjoy, like me, the contemplation of others devouring it, as well as the pleasant feeling of your health and slimness. 😀
Make yourself and your loved ones happy and be happy! ❤