Challah is a sweet bread that is very common in the Jewish community, it is usually served on Friday night dinner as well as Saturday's (Shabbat) breakfast. Since Challah has been a tradition for so long, it has become so much more than just a tasty bread. It is nostalgic and familiar and brings up so many memories with every bite.
Although Challah bread is sweet and fluffy, it goes really well with savory dishes as well. The most common combinations of Challah are:
- A slice of Challah with chocolate spread (classic)
- A torn piece of Challah with Shakshuka sauce.
- A torn piece of Challah dipped in your leftover salad juice (It is so much better than it sounds)
Honestly, It goes well with most of anything just because it is really good by itself.
Don't be surprised if once you have tried it, suddenly you will find yourself baking one once a week like the rest of us
Variations: As I have mentioned before, you can serve Challah with pretty much anything, these are a couple of examples you can try to change the recipe it self and get a slightly different yet just as good results.
- Before making the 4 pieces of dough into cylinders, flatten each one with a rolling pin and spread chocolate spread on it. Then roll the dough into a cylinder and continue the rest of the recipe as stated.
- Another option is to spread almond cream on the dough, honestly, this is my favorite recipe ever and I will post a detailed recipe for this Challah in a different post.
- You can add a tbsp of garlic powder to the dough ingredients, cut the dough to even, small pieces, brush them with garlic oil and bake into Garlic Challah Buns
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Whenever I go into the kitchen, whether it is for cooking or baking, I need to have my music with me. I thought it would be nice to share with you the exact song that describes my feeling towards each recipe. That way you can have a similar experience while cooking...
Recipe's song:
This recipe is so familiar that it has to be a classic, it is also very sweet and light so Wonderwall by Oasis fits perfectly here.
Let's start:
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Prep time: 15 minutes
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Resting time: 45-120 minutes
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Proofing Time: 60 minutes (approx.)
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Baking time: 30 minutes
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Difficulty: medium
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Servings: 2 round loaves
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Instructions:
- In the mixer bowl, pour room temperature water with the dry yeast and mix so there aren’t any lumps. Let the yeast and water sit together for a couple of minutes.
- Pour the flour on top of the water, make sure to cover all the area touching the water with flour.
- Add the sugar on top of the flour.
- Start kneading with the dough hook on slow speed and pour the olive oil while the dough is kneading. Turn speed to medium and leave for 5 minutes.
- Add the table salt and knead for another 2-3 minutes. The dough will be flexible and thick, don’t allow the dough to start ripping.
- Take the dough out with the dough scraper and cover with plastic film. You can leave the dough at room temperature for a 30 minutes rest or you can leave it to rest in the fridge for up to 2 hours.
- After the dough has rested, take it out of the bowl and weigh two equal pieces(around 900 g each ).
- Each piece will then be cut to 4 even pieces (around 220 g each)
- Roll each piece into a cylinder shape, cover and let rest for at least ten minutes.
- Roll the cylinders into a long snake- like shape and again let them rest (rest is crucial to prevent the gluten from ripping).
- Put two cylinders parallel to each other and to the table, the other two pieces will be put vertically to make a criss cross shape.
- Now each piece will go over the edge next to it in a circular direction.
 - Tuck the small edges beneath the loaf and transfer gently to a tray lined with baking paper.
- Preheat the oven to 365 F.
- Cover the Challah loaf with a damp clean towel (or if you have a moist proof function to your oven) and let it proof until it doubles in size.
- Brush your Challah with the milk or the cold tea all over and add the toppings. (without brushing, The Challah’s color will come out really pale)
 - Bake the Challah at 365 for 15 minutes, then turn the temperature to 350 F and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Enjoy your freshly baked Challah.
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Notes -
- This Challah can be kept frozen after it’s shaping and before proofing, make sure to seal it very securely before freezing, or it might get frost bites and look less pretty when baked.
- To thaw it, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge for a night. Then proof it, brush it and bake as the recipe says.
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Let me know what you think of the recipe in the comments section :)
