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what’s the best recipe for home-made challah?
Choose a cook book and try all the challah recipes printed there. The one you like the most is the “best”.
If I remember after Shabbos, I’ll post the recipe we use in our household. My wife, myself and my son have all made it multiple times.
The Wolf
Clearly it depends what kind of challah you like. I find most commercial challah too mushy and too sweet.
no eegs or sweets…dont like mezonot challah
Mix yeast with warm water.
Add flour to produce dough.
Knead dough.
Wait for dough to rise.
Bake dough in hot oven.
Eat.DovidBT: Any specific measurements?
DovidBT: Any specific measurements?
Of course. I’m doing this from memory, so the numbers might be a little off:
Four cups yeast, six quarts water, two tablespoons flour.
Knead for 30 seconds.
Rise time: eight hours.
Bake at 500 deg. F for 90 minutes.2 tablespoons flour? 4 cups yeast? rise for 8 hours? what’s there to rise? Bake at 500 degrees for 90 minutes? Sounds like a recipe for charcoal, not challah.
@DovidBT – I think the rise time is 9 hours, not 8. Other than that, your memory seems to be pretty on point.
Also the Bais Yaakov 2 cookbook has a fantastic recipe.
I feel bad that the OP has not gotten a real recipe, so I will give mine for sweet, whole wheat egg challah (original recipe was for regular flour, but I switched to 80% WW and can’t tell the difference. actually, family likes it better).
Caveat: this works great in Israel, but from experience I have found that for some strange reason, converting between recipes in the US and Israel doesn’t always work- either flour is different, or climate affects rising, or something else makes a difference.
Hope I remember this by heart correctly- but it has to be more on target than DovidBT’s “recipe”2 bags 1 kilo 80% pre-sifted whole wheat flour (or 14 cups regular flour)
2 c sugar
2 tbsp sugar
mix together and make well
Add to well:
4 Tbsp dry yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup warm water
Wait at least 10 min, until it gets very bubbly
Add 4 eggs
1 C oil
2 1/4-1/2 water- start with less and add if needed.
Knead well.
Cover and let rise in warm spot 1 hour. Punch down and let rise another hour.
Shape into challahs, brush with beaten egg and let rise again 1h.
bake for about 30-40 min at 180C (350F) depending on size of challahs, until golden brown on top.Note: this recipe is large enough to take challa with a brocha, but too large to fit into one mixer bowl. I divide it into 2 bowls, kneed each with dough hook, and then transfer both to a large basin, kneed the batches together by hand so it becomes one and then let rise.
Note: for especially fluffy challah, particularly for WW, I read that one should add dough enhancer. I don’t have a commercial one so instead I improvise and use things I already have in the house- a pinch of ginger and about 1 Tbsp of potato starch, and I really see a difference!Jew boy2, here is my recipe, it’s original from Devora Heller famous for Challos. I adapted recipe a little. It’s delicious!!
6lbs flour, 3.5 oz fresh yeast, 3/4c sugar, 1/2 c oil, 2 whole eggs, 2 yolks, 6 c luke warm water, 3 T kosher salt. Good luck!WTP, it depends on your mixer. I make 16 cups of flour every week and it fits into my Bosch quite nicely, though I can’t leave it there to rise. I mix it all at once in the mixer and then transfer it to a larger bowl.
Shimaras Halashon- of course. I have a KitchenAid. Somehow I doubt that Jewboy2 has a challah-grade mixer, especially based on his last question.
Jewboy2 – blades are for food processors. Use the dough hook if your mixer has one, not the standard beaters. You can also use your hands.
Recommended reading on the topic before you start: Way Too Much Challah Dough by G. Shulman.Don’t be a wimp. Mix and knead it by hand.
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