Challah, the bread traditionally eaten on the Jewish Sabbath, has taken on a life of its own in our family. It is a hobby. It is a food. It is a symbol. It perfumes our home, beckoning us with its scent into the arms of the Sabbath queen. Its preparation forms the pillars of my Friday cooking for the Sabbath meal.
Invited to friends’ home for Shabbat dinner? I bring two of my challahs. A new baby in the home? I deliver two of these challahs to the baby and parents’ home, to mark their first Shabbat together. If there is a loss in the community, the challahs are prepared for the mourners as a symbol of love and warmth and solace. They feed the soul and the body at once.
This recipe was written by and passed to me by Katja Goldman, challah baker and shaper extraordinaire.
Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
4 tablespoons sugar
1 cup warm water (100° – 108° F), plus 1 tablespoon for glaze
2 tablespoons honey, plus additional for glaze
3 extra-large eggs
4 to 4 ½ cups unbleached white flour, plus more for kneading
2 teaspoons salt
½ cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
Preparation
Round challahs for Rosh Hashanah.
Proof the yeast: sprinkle yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar over warm water in a large non-metallic bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes or until foamy.
Add honey, remaining sugar, 2 eggs and 1 cup flour. Whisk vigorously until smooth.
Add salt and oil. Whisk again. Continue to add flour and switch to stirring with a large wooden spoon. Once dough is too stiff to stir, and not too sticky, turn the shaggy mass onto a clean, floured counter. Knead in remaining flour. Best to add by feel, one handful at a time. Dough should be elastic and smooth, not sticky. All flours vary slightly in amounts of liquid they absorb, so don’t worry if not all flour called for in a recipe is used.
To rise: place ball of dough in a large greased bowl or plastic container, turning the dough once to grease the top. Cover with a damp cloth, plastic wrap or lid. Place in a warm spot to rise/double, such as on top of a stove with pilot lights, in a gas oven that is off, or on a counter in a warm kitchen with no drafts. Generally it takes 2 hours for the dough to “double in bulk.”
To test: press 2 fingers into the dough; if indentation remains, the dough has adequately risen; if indentations fill in, cover again and leave dough for 15 to 30 minutes more.
When dough has doubled, turn it onto a lightly floured work surface and punch it down to deflate. If dough is too sticky/soft, you can knead in more flour. Then divide and shape into 2 loaves.
Place on baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Let rise again in warm, draft-free place for 30 minutes. Test again with fingers.
Preheat oven to 325° F. In a small bowl, mix 1 egg with 1 tablespoon water for glaze. Brush egg mixture on challah before placing in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes. Just before the challah is done, add some honey to the egg mixture and brush on loaf, to finish with a sweet glaze. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more. Tap loaf for doneness – bread should sound hollow.
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