Challah-Egg Bread-Chalka
Challah is a beloved braided bread that carries deep significance to Jewish culture. Traditionally made during the Jewish Sabbath and festivals, this bread holds a special place on the dining table of Jewish homes. The dough is carefully crafted, combining flour, water, eggs, and a touch of sweetness from honey or sugar. The braiding technique itself is an art form, with three, four, or even six strands intricately woven to create a visually stunning loaf. Topped with sesame or poppy seeds, challah emerges from the oven with a golden crust, emitting an irresistible aroma that wafts through the home. Beyond its visual appeal and heavenly scent, challah serves as a symbol of unity, heritage, and celebration, carrying with it the warmth and love of Jewish tradition. The best challah is rich with eggs and lightly sweetened. The most important principle in braiding loaves is to be sure each strand is the same length and weight.
At Zosia Culinary Adventures, I always use fresh yeast when I bake my challah bread. This special ingredient can easily be found in European delicatessen stores, ensuring that I have access to the highest quality yeast for my recipe. The bread-making process is a labor of love that begins in the evening and is completed the next day. Over the years, I have perfected this recipe through countless trials. I have shared this delicious bread with residents in seniors homes, and their enjoyment has been truly heartwarming. I am confident that you too will savor every bite of this delectable challah bread.
Challah-Egg Bread-Chałka
By Zosia Culinary Adventures | Date: October 20, 2023
Preparation Time: 12 hours of retarding of dough in the fridge; forming and proofing = 3 hours
Baking Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 small loaves (32 slices)
Ingredients:
1kg white bread flour(strong flour)
42 g fresh yeast
170g egg yolks
70g olive oil
500g lukewarm filtered water
85g organic unpasteurized honey
t tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
20g sea salt
1 egg white for wash with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash ( if you to use whole egg, the crust becomes much intense dark color after baking)
toppings: sesame seeds or poppy seeds
Instructions:
Combine water with fresh yeast. Mix it well with a whisk to dissolve the yeast.
Add egg yolks, olive oil, honey, sea salt and vanilla. Whisk until all ingredients are nicely mixed.
With help of danish dough whisk, mix in gradually flour.
Work the dough with danish whisk for 10 minutes and after let it rest in the bowl for 30 minutes. Make sure to cover the bowl with baking cloth.
Use a bowl scraper to transfer the dough to a lightly floured working table.
The dough will be still sticky, therfores dust the top of the dough with flour.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes, adding more flour to prevent from sticking.
Once the dough is elastic and not sticky, form the dough into a ball and place it in the clean lightly oiled bowl.
Cover the dough with a clean baking towel and plastic bag over the towel in order to prevent from drying in the fridge.
Next morning or at least after 12 hours of retarding of dough, remove the dough from the refrigeration about 2.5 hours prior to baking.
Turn on the oven to 350°F or 175-180°C.
Prepare the egg wash and place it in the fridge until ready for further use.
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
Divide each piece into 6 pieces. Make sure all pieces are the same weight.
Roll each piece into a rope. The longer the rope the slimmer the bread , the shorter the rope the chubbier the bread.
Make sure all ropes are the same length. Each rope must be covered with baking towel until you have all 6 of them ready for braiding.
To shape a 6-braided bread, connect all 6 strands of equal weight and length at one end, spreading the other ends out with the tips facing you .
From left, number the strands 1 through 6 and bring strand 6 over strand 1 to build up the end of the loaf. Strand 5 now become the new strand 6. and the old strand 6 is now strand 1.
Now follow this pattern: 2 over 6, 1 over 3, 5 over 1 , 6 over 4. Repeat the pattern until you get to the end of the strands. I always have a cheat sheet to ensure that I follow the pattern and I usually call out the numbers so I can hear myself. This helps me so I don’t loose my count!
Once the loaves are braided, transfer them into a large baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Brush the bread loaves with egg wash generously and let them rise uncovered for an hour. I usually keep my bread on the top of the stove when is not in use or any warm place in the kitchen.
After an hour brush the egg bread with second coat of egg wash, then sprinkle with seeds (at this point your loaves are probably ready to bake) but if not and let it rise further ( keep in mind that loaves need to be increased to 1.5 times of original size prior baking)
Bake breads for 20 minutes, and the rotate the pan and bake for another 20 minutes until loaves are hollow when thumped on the bottom and the internal temperature is 190°F or app. 88°C.
Cool challah bread on the wire rack for at least an hour before slicing.
Enjoy it!
Nutritional Facts for One Serving:🧡
Calories 167 | Fat 4.3 g \ Saturated Fat 1 g\ Cholesterol 89 mg\ Sodium 251 mg\ Total Carbohydrate 26.9 g\ Dietary Fiber 1.1 g\ Total Sugars 2.4 g\ Protein 4.9 g \ Vitamin D 8 mcg\ Calcium 15 mg\ Iron 2 mg\ Potassium 69 mg
This is the pattern to shape a 6-braided loaf: 2 over 6, 1 over 3, 5 over 1 , 6 over 4. Repeat the pattern until you get to the end of the strands.
