Post Pesach/Passover Back to Making Challah Rolls

I must admit that I don't bake challah every week, though we do eat my challah rolls pretty much every week. That's because I bake batches that last sometimes even two months, depending on how many invitations we get and how many rolls in the most recent batch.

This year Passover ended rather late in the week, so with all the post Pesach chores, there was no way I could manage a batch of challah rolls. And for whatever reasons I couldn't find the time and energy the following week. Also my husband had bought enough rolls to suffice a second week. So this week I knew that I had to bake some.

I took down my simple recipe from the fridge and made sure I had enough flour. I prefer a very fine 70% whole wheat. It's "almost white" but much healthier. 

Ingredients

2 heaping tablespoons of dehydrated yeast
4 cups of warm water
1 cup vegetable oil of your choice
1 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
2 kilo (4.4 lbs) flour

Instructions

1. in a large bowl add almost all of the dry ingredients; just leave out some of the flour
2. add the water and oil
3. mix well, and then cover and leave until it rises (doubles in size)
4. then add more flour until the dough is "dry" enough to handle without it sticking to your hands
5. then knead, pound, keep turning over for over five minutes-- Yes, I do it by hand and don't have a mixer. If you have a mixer, make sure it can handle yeast dough and the quantity you're making. You may have to half or quarter the recipe.
6. Once you've kneaded it, coat it top and bottom with some oil, then cover again until it rises again.
7. Once it rises, pound it down, cover and let it rise again.
8. When it doubles, "take challah" according to these instructions or from another site, family or friend. 
9. Finally cover your baking pan with special baking paper, prepare a raw egg for "painting the challah."
   
10. Shape your challah or rolls, and place on the paper far enough apart so they won't get attached when baking.
11. "Paint" with the raw egg, and then let rise until close to double.
12. Bake in hot oven. Start at 180 C until brownish, and then lower to 160C until they look ready and there's a "hollow" sound if you tap.
13. Turn off the heat and then cool.

Yes, there are lots of different recipes. I used to bake with eggs and less water, but I changed it to what I wrote here. Enjoy, and tell me how they come out.

Double-Tweaked My Challah Recipe, Better Results

I made two changes to my usual challah recipe. One change I made in my challah recipe was intentional, and the other was accidental, but the results were phenomenal. For the longest time, even though my challot tasted great, the texture was problematic. My husband complained that the sandwiches I made him with the leftover challah crumbled terribly.  I tried leaving out the eggs, but there wasn't any real improvement.

On Friday, when I made my latest batch of challah (usually enough to last a month or more, since we don't eat much bread) I increased the water to four 4 cups. And for whatever reason, I forgot to add the pinch of salt*.   (*Due to various comments, I do add some coarse salt now.)

I used the same whole wheat flour as usual, but the challot ended up almost double the size, much softer and better texture.

This is the newly tweaked recipe:

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar (I use dark brown)
2 Tablespoons or a bit more of dehydrated yeast
approximately 2 kilo flour (I used 70% or 100% whole wheat extra fine)

*some people may still prefer a pinch plus of coarse salt for a bit more flavor
4 cups of warm water
1 cup of any vegetable oil
1 egg for painting to make a shiny challah

Instructions:
Mix sugar and yeast in large bowl.
Add the warm water.
mix
Cover with plastic.
When it looks all bubbly and has risen add the oil.
Mix
Gradually add flour, mixing all the time, until you can knead it.
Knead for about 8 minutes.
Coat completely in a bit more oil.
Cover and wait until doubled in size, anything from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the weather and quality of yeast.
Punch down, then cover and wait again.
"Take a piece of challah" for the blessing.
Punch down and then shape on baking pan, covered with baking paper. The shaping as you can see in my photos can be very simple.
Paint with raw egg and let the challot rise a bit.
Bake. *Start in a hot fan/turbo oven 180c (360f), and then lower temperature when you can see the challah begin to brown a bit 150c (300f).
It's ready when hard on the bottom and has a hollow sound when tapping the bottom.
Let cool out of the oven.

Enjoy for Shabbat, Jewish Holidays or whenever you want a special bread. PS They freeze well.

*There are too many factors to predict exact baking time.

"How to Make Challot" in Pictures

You can get a more detailed challah recipe here/click.

Challah Baking Tip:

And a new "kneading technique" for those who knead by hand. Call a friend, talk via "speaker" while kneading and you'll find you can knead forever.

homemade challah

homemade challah

homemade challah

homemade challah

homemade challah
hafrashat challah, mitzvah

homemade challah
hafrashat challah, mitzvah

homemade challah

homemade challah

Homemade, Handmade Challah So Simple

Above are the challah ingredients, written rather simply. I keep this note on the fridge. I used to have an index card box with recipes, but they got trashed long before the cookbooks. In all honesty, I don't remember where the recipe came from. It sort of evolved, and it's a bit different every time I make it. I don't have a functioning mixer and haven't had one for ages. I bake "by hand." And I don't have the strongest of hands. It's not all that hard, though you can use a mixer dough hook if you want. The kneading will just take less time.

A few years ago, when my friend got her "new kitchen," she did a chanukat hamitbach, kitchen dedicating/opening ceremony by inviting lots of friends to a challah-baking evening. It was led by a neighbor who showed us how challah-baking is a very spiritual time, and as we physically handle the dough we should be praying and blessing our family, our children and grandchildren.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar (I use dark brown)
2 Tablespoons or a bit more of dehydrated yeast
approximately 2 kilo flour (I used 70% whole wheat extra fine)
pinch of coarse salt
3 1/2 cups of warm water (4 cups if no eggs)
1 cup of any vegetable oil
2 eggs (optional)
1 egg for painting to make a shiny challah

Instructions:

1. Put almost all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl, but just use a cup of flour.
2. Mix
3. Add the warm water.
4. Cover with plastic.
5. When it looks all bubbly and has risen add the oil (and eggs).
6. Mix
7. Gradually add flour, mixing all the time, until you can knead it, without getting your hands all sticky.
8. Knead for about 8 minutes.
9. Coat completely in a bit more oil.
10. Cover and wait until doubled in size, anything from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the weather and quality of yeast.
11. Punch down, then cover and wait again. 
12. "Take a piece of challah" for the blessing.
13. Punch down and shape. The shaping as you can see in my photos can be very simple.
14. Paint with raw egg and let the challot rise a bit.
15. Bake. *Start in a hot oven, and then lower temperature when you can see the challah begin to brown a bit.
16. It's ready when hard on the bottom and has a hollow sound when tapping the bottom.
17. Let cool out of the oven.
18. Enjoy for Shabbat, Jewish Holidays or whenever you want a special bread.

PS They freeze well.

*There are too many factors to predict exact baking time. For temperatures I think that I started baking close to 200c and ended more like 170c. But remember that each oven is different, and it depends on whether you're doing turbo and how many trays etc. Of course Farenheit numbers are different.