Joan's Soft, Fluffy and Delicious Vegan Challah Recipe • Jewish Food Hero (2024)

FAQs

Why is challah so soft? ›

Amount of flour: The key to a soft loaf that isn't dense is to use as little flour as possible. I start with 930 grams of flour and add up to 70 more grams based on what the dough needs. The amount of liquid in the dough will vary from loaf to loaf because “large” eggs are similar but not uniform in volume.

It is typically pale yellow due to the number of eggs used in its creation. Some challah recipes actually call for raisins, honey, and seeds, but it all depends on your preferences and what you are celebrating.

Unlike other enriched breads, a truly kosher challah is made without dairy or meat derivatives, relying on vegetable oils for fat and a contested number of eggs—which are considered pareve, or neither dairy nor meat, in the kosher laws known as kashrut.

The term “challah” is applied more widely to mean any bread used in Jewish rituals. On the eve of Shabbat, two loaves are placed on the table to reference the Jewish teaching that a double portion of manna fell from heaven on Friday to last through the Saturday Shabbat.

For best flavor, we recommend substituting white whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour. For best texture, allow the just-mixed dough to rest for 20 minutes before kneading; this gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid, making it easier to handle.

Name and origins

The term challah in Biblical Hebrew meant a kind of loaf or cake.

Challah bread offers trace amounts of the following: Niacin, which helps to turn the food you eat into energy4. Iron, a deficiency of which results in anemia 5. Thiamin, which is important metabolism6.

If the area is too warm, bread will rise too fast and begin cooking before the yeast has finished acting. This will impart a "yeasty" taste to the dough that will be transferred to the finished baked loaf. Using old ingredients (rancid nuts, "old" shortening) will cause yeast breads to taste old or have an "off" taste.

Why? So the challah can be dipped right after the beracha is recited. The Mishnah Berurah (167:27) explains that dipping in salt or condiments makes the first bite tasty and adds honor to the beracha.

Challah functions as a physical metaphor for manna from heaven at the sabbath meal. It is baked for sharing during shabbat; candles lit, wine poured, blessings made and prayers shared.

Is challah in the Bible? ›

In the Bible, challah is the portion of bread that is set aside and given to the priests to eat (Numbers 15:19-20). The mitzvah of separating challah applies to the five grains, wheat, barley, spelt, oats and rye. The rabbis calculate that more than 1.75 kg of dough baked at one time must have challah taken from it.

Jews eat a Shabbat meal on Fridays. Challah bread is eaten, candles are lit, songs are sung and special words are recited. When a Muslim baby is born, date juice is rubbed on their gums, so that the first experience the baby has is a sweet one.

Challah in the Jewish Tradition

Instead, a double portion fell the day before — hence the double loaf on Friday nights. Challah is not eaten during Passover, however, because it is leavened, but can be enjoyed again once Passover is over.

Challah seems to come from the arabic culture. They do have much in common though. They use eggs and fatty components. In a "Zopf" it's milk instead of water and molten butter instead of vegetable oil.

Challah is almost always pareve (containing neither dairy nor meat—important in the laws of Kashrut), unlike brioche and other enriched European breads, which contain butter or milk as it is typically eaten with a meat meal.

Knead on medium-low speed until you have a sticky dough that clings to the bottom of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes. The dough may seem too wet but have faith—it's supposed to be. Dust your hands generously with flour, then scrape the sticky, elastic dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.

Over kneading can make the dough feel tough, and the gluten structure will tear instead of stretching.

Keep folding the dough into itself until the flour is worked into the dough. If the dough feels too dry or crumbly, a little bit of oil works wonders to bring moisture and pliability back. Spray your workspace with cooking spray as well.