How to Make Whole Wheat Challah/Hallah Bread

Challah bread, or Hallah bread depending on how you spell it, has long been a stable of the Shabbat/Sabbath meal. Many families have kept this tradition for centuries and along with the tradition go the recipes as well. Since we have begun keeping our own Shabbat table our family has gone through many different recipes as was try to find as combination that is easy so that the children can help with its preparation, and healthy, and that tastes good. This recipe is one I have arrived at from the adaptation of several other recipes.

Supplies:

Mixing bowl

Spoon

Measuring cups

Measuring Spoons

Flat cookie sheet/or cooking stone

Pastry brush

Ingredients:

3 cups white whole wheat flour

11/2 tbsp fast acting yeast

1 pinch salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup honey

1 2/3 cups warm water (120F)

21/2 cups organic white flour

In a mixing bowl combine 3 cups whole wheat flour with the yeast and the salt. Using the mixing spoon create a large hollow in the center of the flour. Break the first egg and separate the white into s separate bowl. Put the yolk into the mixing bowl in the hollow. Add the other two eggs to the mixing bowl. Next add the oil. If you use the same measuring cup for the honey as you have for the oil, the honey should easily slide out of the greased measuring cup. Add the water, it is very important that you have it the right temperature. Too cold and the yeast won’t be activated, too hot and it will kill the yeast. If you don’t have a thermometer you can check the temperature with your finger. It should be too hot to hold your finger in for a full 10 seconds, but not too hot that you can’t put you finger in for at least 2-3 seconds. Stir together all of the ingredients in the mixing bowl. No add the white flour, one cupful at a time and continue mixing until it is all combined. At this point it may become easier to use your hands to knead the dough together than a spoon. To knead the dough, push it away from you with the heel of your hand, and then pick up the front of the dough with your fingers and pull it back towards your body as if you are folding it in half. Then repeat pushing it away from you with the heel of your hand. The purpose of kneading is to stretch out the gluten strands in the flour so that they stick together better and trap the air bubbles created by the yeast which gives you a lighter fluffier bread. I usually knead in the bowl in order to have less clean up. You can turn the dough out onto a floured counter or board and knead it there as well.

Continue kneading until all of the flour is worked in. The dough should not feel sticky. It should feel round and smooth like a baby’s bottom, as my mother in law likes to say.

Put the dough back in the bowl if it is on the counter and place it in a warm place in your kitchen. This can be next to the stovetop with a towel over it or inside an oven that isn’t on. The dough needs to maintain a consistent temperature so that the yeast can grow and do its work of leavening the bread. If it gets too cold or hot your bread won’t rise. Yeast is happiest at about 110F. (The extra 10 degrees in the water temperature is to counteract the other ingredients mixed in with the yeast, which will be cooler in temperature. I set my oven for 110 and let the dough rise in there, it takes less time that way. Allow the dough to sit for at least 10 minutes and up to 20.

While the dough is sitting grease your cookie sheet or cooking stone. A nonstick pan needs only a fine layer of butter or oil a cooking stone will need a thick layer of cooking lard.

Bring the dough back to your work surface and knead it a few more times to get the newly formed bubbles out. Set aside one third of the dough. Divide the remaining 2/3 into three even amounts. Roll these balls of dough into long strands like snakes. When they are about 2 inches thick lay them flat and squeeze them together on one end. Braid the strands, crossing one from the outside over the center strand and alternating sides until you reach the end, squeeze together the ends of the braid and tuck both ends underneath the loaf. Place on your cookie sheet.

With the remaining third of dough, divide into three sections again and braid as before. Place this smaller braid directly on top of the larger braid. Place in a warm place once more and allow to rise again for 30-50 minutes depending on how warm. It should almost double in size but not start running together yet. Once the dough has risen, remove it from the oven (now preheat the oven to 325F) and brush the entire loaf with the egg white you set aside earlier using the pastry brush. Be very gentle so as not to cause it to deflate. The egg white makes the bread shiny and pretty and keeps the inside moist. Bake at 325F for 50 minutes to an hour. The bread is done when it is a shiny golden color and sounds hollow when you tap it. Don’t allow it to cook too long or it will be very dry.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.

You can double this recipe to get two loaves which are standard at some Shabbat tables or you can divide this recipe in half and then divide each half as directed above. These mini loaves cook in 30-40 minutes so watch them closely.