Challah for Rosh Hashanah

Challah is the most iconic and uniquely Jewish food. It is a rich braided bread served on Shabbat and holidays. Similar to brioche, the bread is slightly sweet and wonderfully soft inside. 

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a time to reflect on the past year- and look forward to the coming one. Celebrating Rosh Hashanah is all about tradition. The holiday festive meal festive meal can include favorites like matzo ball soup, tzimmes, and honey cake.

For my “The Complete Challah Guide” FREE ebook, join my mailing list here.

If you like Challah, try my Spelt Challah, Sweet Challah Bread, or Vegan Challah.

Ingredients Overview

*The full recipe is in the recipe card below!

Before you start baking using this Challah Recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.

All-purpose flour: I use all-purpose flour, but you could use bread flour or a combination of bread and all-purpose. Remember that bread flour has a higher protein content and will give your bread more structure. I strongly recommend sifting the flour; it will result in a more delicate dough with a more significant volume.

Water: It’s best to use water between 100°F and 110°F (38°C —43°C); it helps activate the yeast. If you don’t have a thermometer, don’t overthink the water temperature. You want the water warm—not hot, not cold, not freezing. Just warm. The proportion of water in bread dough corresponds to how hydrated or wet it is.

Yeast (active dry yeast): Active dry yeast needs to be bloomed in liquid before being used to make dough. However, it is not necessary to bloom newly purchased yeast. Instead, they can be added directly to the dry ingredients.

Oil: Canola, vegetable, or Avocado oil can also work here.

Sugar, honey (or date honey), and salt: Flavor.

Pro-Tips

Weigh all your ingredients and get everything in order so you can follow the recipe exactly.

Mixing the dough: Scrap the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Water: Because each flour is different, stored differently, and has different absorption capacities, the amount of liquid will almost always change. Even if you always use the same flour, it may be that the flour will absorb more liquid on different days. So, start with half a cup of water and gradually add as needed. The dough should be very soft but not sticky. Dough lacking in liquid will be stiffer and less comfortable to work with.

Checking the dough internal temperature: In the oven, due to its distinctive shape, the outer layer of the dough tends to brown rapidly, potentially giving a misleading impression of doneness. Relying solely on visual cues may result in an under-cooked interior. Therefore, the internal temperature serves as a more precise and reliable indicator of the bread’s readiness. This practice ensures that the Challah is thoroughly baked. The internal temperature should be in the range of 190-210°F (87-99°C).

FAQ’S

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Challah for Rosh Hashanah

Author Rachel

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Resting Time 3 hours hours

Yield 1 loaf

Print Pin Recipe

Description

This beautiful Challah always impresses guests and also makes a great gift for a host.

Kosher, Pareve (vegan option too!)

Equipment

• A standing mixer fitted with a dough hook
• Rolling pin optional
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheet
• Oven safe Ramekin
• Pastry brush
• Instant read food thermometer highly recommended

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 and 1/2 cups (500g) sifted all-purpose flour plus a little more for dusting I strongly recommend sifting the flour; it will result in a more delicate dough with a more significant volume.
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon (10g) active dry yeast
• ▢ 1/4 cup (60ml) canola oil plus a little more for greasing
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons (30g) granulated sugar or 3 tablespoons of honey
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons honey or Silan (date honey)
• ▢ 1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 cups (300-350ml) lukewarm water you want the water warm. Not hot. Not cold. Not freezing. Just warm.
• ▢ 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• ▢ cooking spray

For brushing:

• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons honey
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon (15ml) olive oil

For brushing- vegan:

• ▢ 2 Tablespoons (30ml) real maple syrup
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon (15ml) olive oil

For serving:

• ▢ 1 cup honey or Silan or Maple Syrup

Instructions

• Put flour and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer (or in a large mixing bowl if kneading by hand) and mix/stir on a low speed for one minute.
• Add oil, honey, and sugar and mix for about one minute.
• While the mixer is working, slowly add water and mix to form the dough.*Because each flour is different, stored differently, and has different absorption capacities, the amount of liquid will almost always change. Even if you always use the same flour, it may be that on different days, the flour will absorb more liquid than before. So, start with half a cup of water and gradually add enough until the dough is soft but not sticky. Dough that lacks liquid will be stiffer and much less comfortable to work with. The water temperature should be warm.
• Add the salt and knead the dough for 10-15 minutes (It helps the gluten form and the dough to be elastic with better structure).
• Grease the dough with a little bit of oil, cover with a kitchen towel or loosely with saran wrap and let the dough rise until doubled (place the bowl somewhere warm). It takes between 1-3 hours at room temperature.
• Roll the dough into 3 long and thin ropes. If the dough is sticky, add a *little bit* of flour. When making Challah, less is more!
• Gather the ropes and squeeze them together at the very top. Braid the ropes together like braiding hair and squeeze the ends together when complete.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Grease the outside of a small, ovenproof baking dish. Place the dish on the prepared baking sheet and encircle it with the braided dough, connecting the ends together.
• Place the pan somewhere warm, cover with a towel, and let it rise until puffed, about an hour.
• Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
• Whisk the topping ingredients and, when ready to bake and brush it all over the Challah.
• Slide the Challah on its baking sheet into the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. The Challah is done when it is a rich golden brown and registers 190°F/90°C in the very middle with an instant-read thermometer. If the crust is browning too rapidly, you can tent the Challah with aluminum foil. This will shield the outer layer from direct heat and slow down the browning process, giving the interior more time to cook.
• Let the Challah cool on a cooling rack. Before serving, fill the bowl with honey/Silan/Maple Syrup.

Notes

• If your Challah is browning too quickly while baking: Tent the Challah with aluminum foil. Place the foil gently over the challah, making sure it doesn’t stick to the dough.
  
• Checking the dough internal temperature: In the oven, due to its distinctive shape, the outer layer of the dough tends to brown rapidly, potentially giving a misleading impression of doneness. Relying solely on visual cues may result in an undercooked interior. Therefore, the internal temperature serves as a more precise and reliable indicator of the bread’s readiness. This practice ensures that the Challah is thoroughly baked. The internal temperature should be in the range of 190-210°F (87-99°C).
• Mixing the dough: Scrap the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
• Water: Because each flour is different, stored differently, and has different absorption capacities, the amount of liquid will almost always change. Even if you always use the same flour, it may be that the flour will absorb more liquid on different days. So, start with half a cup of water and add as needed gradually. The dough should be very soft but not sticky. Dough lacking in liquid will be stiffer and less comfortable to work with.

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