The Challah has been on my to-bake list for a long time. I have read about it and planned to bake it but never managed to actually execute it. So when I started planning for the A to Z Baking, I promptly wrote Challah for the letter C and finally ticked it off my list. I saw innumerable pictures of the Challah in so many websites and blogs and was very excited to try one. But my braiding skills were and are pathetic which caused the downfall of an otherwise very tasty Challah.
This is probably my fifth or sixth attempt at braiding the dough and it is nowhere near what it should be. So, for now, we shall name it the diet Challah as against the regular robust ones. I will try it again soon and hopefully be able to update the pictures.
Challah is a Jewish bread and was named thus during the Middle Ages in Germany when it was adopted by the Jews for Shabbat and holidays. It is also known as ‘berches’ in some countries.
Country – Israel
Makes one 12″ Challah
Recipe from ‘The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day’
WHAT WE NEED
Lukewarm water 135 ml
Instant yeast 1 tsp
Kosher Salt / salt 2 tsp
Eggs, lightly beaten 2
Honey 57 gms
Unsalted butter, melted/ Oil 39 gms
All purpose flour 330 gms
Eggwash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp of water)
Poppy seeds or Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top
Oil / butter for greasing the baking tray
WHAT TO DO
- In a large bowl, mix the yeast, salt, eggs, honey and butter with the water
- Add the flour and mix well till the entire flour is incorporated into the dough
- Cover and set aside the dough till it rises and collapses or flattens on top which should take around 2 hours
- Refrigerate the dough for atleast 3 hours upto 3 days. The dough can be used immediately but it will be sticky and is easier to use once refrigerated
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper or grease it well with butter / oil
- Roll out the dough into a long rectangle shape
- Divide it lengthwise into 3 portions and roll each one into a rope
- Braid the 3 ropes on the baking tray and pinch the ends together
- Let it rest for 90 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 175C
- Just before baking, apply the eggwash generously on the dough and sprinkle poppy seeds / sesame seeds on top
- Bake for 30 minutes or till the bread turns golden brown and the braids near the center offer resistance to pressure
- Allow it to cool completely before slicing or tearing and eating
- Enjoy!
This is my post for the Mega Marathon for the alphabet ‘C’.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 75
Bread Therapy 
That is a great looking challah and such a wonderful choice for the alphabet.
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Thanks a lot Sandhya
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I am a bread lover and loving this bread series. The challah is on my mind too, hope this one will inspire me now. Braiding is an art in itself, I am sure you will master it very soon, though it is pretty well done.
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Thank you for all the encouragement Vaishali!
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so much got discussed about this lovely devil bread…it is baked like a beauty, you have bakers hands
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Thanks for the motivation Pradnya! Will hopefully get it better next time
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Diet Challah!!..hahaha..you are so funny…however that challah looks so good yaar..you are being so hard on yourself…even this has been on my list and had been doing bread series this would have been the one I would have baked..and then I would have called it falling apart challah..lol
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Thanks Valli. But you are way too modest. I can imagine how perfect your challah would be!
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That is a pretty braid you got, Sowmya. I also feel that you are being too hard on yourself! An awesome choice for C.
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Thanks a lot Harini.
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Challah was my first pick too for C, before I finalized my list. Yours turned out great! I will try this another time it’s on my to-do list too.
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Thank you Namratha
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So tempting!
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Thank you
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Wow, Challah rocks, i have baked this bread couple of time with different variations. just love enjoy this bread with nutella.
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That’s a nice pairing…will try it with Nutella
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You have got so much patience to try it out.. It looks awesome!!
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Thank you…I hope it turns out better next time round
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That is a beautiful braid Soumya. Looks very good.
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Thank you Veena
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That is a great looking challah bread. I think you have great braiding skills except for the ends. When you get to the end — tuck the edges back and not to side, so they cannot be seen.
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Thanks for that tip Pavani. Will keep it in mind next time
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Same and awesome Sowmya.. Love your challah version. And yayyy for this gorgeous bread.
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Thanks Srividhya!
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this braid has come out very well. Nice golden color braided bread. would love to try it.
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Omg, I am speechless Sowmya. You should give a baking class to me. Super ice bread.
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