Photo by: Scott Phillips
Challah is the bread traditionally served at the Jewish Sabbath, but why limit it to Friday night? Finely grained, eggy, and tender with a hint of honey flavor, challah is delicious anytime. Burnished and deep golden on the outside, it’s one truly impressive loaf of bread. But this beautiful braid only looks difficult to make. The dough is hardy and forgiving, very little kneading is required, and the braiding involves just four repeating moves.
After years of baking challah, I’ve come up with a favorite version, as well as lots of pointers for the best possible bread.
Use a flour that’s lower in protein. You’ll get a more tender result—the true mark of a homemade challah. I’ve had good luck with all-purpose unbleached flours, such as Pillsbury, Hecker’s, and Gold Medal brands; they’re lower in protein than bread flour, and they’ll give a finer-grained, more cakelike bread. To find out about the protein content of the flour, check the side panel of the bag. It should list three grams of protein per serving.
The dough needs only two minutes of kneading because it gets worked heavily during shaping. The little kneading you will do doesn’t demand a delicate turn of hand—on the contrary, just a bit muscle. If the dough is sticky, don’t worry; just add a little more flour until it’s firm. This stiff consistency actually helps the challah have a very finely grained texture and a very high profile with distinctive, separate strands. It will keep longer, too.
