Even if you’ve never made homemade bread or worked with yeast before, this Spelt Challah is for you.
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What is Challah?
Pronounced Challah/ḥallah, plural: challot/ḥalloth/khallos, Hebrew: חלה
Challah is the most iconic and uniquely Jewish food. It is a rich braided bread served on Shabbat and holidays; like brioche, the bread is slightly sweet and wonderfully soft inside.
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.
Spelt flour: A type of flour made from the spelt grain. Spelt is an ancient cereal grain that is similar to wheat but has a nuttier flavor and a slightly different nutritional profile.
Water: It’s best to use water between 100°F and 110°F (38°C- 43°C); it helps to 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.
Date syrup: Date syrup, also called Silan, is a thick dark-brown, very sweet fruit syrup extracted from dates. It can be found online, at Trader Joe’s, and in Middle Eastern stores. I tried and liked a few brands (Affiliate Links): The Date Lady, Soom, and Trader Joe’s. Learn more about Date Syrup here.
You can substitute the date syrup in the recipe with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar or 4 tablespoons of honey.
Oil: Canola, vegetable, or Avocado oil can also work here.
I Don’t Have a Mixer. Can I Knead Spelt Challah by Hand?
Absolutely!
There is no reason not to make Challah because you don’t have a mixer. Kneading by hand will yield wonderful results; it will just take a little more time. The advantage of using a mixer is saving (human) energy and multitasking while the mixer works. For making Challah, we will be using the hook attachment.
How to Make Spelt Challah?
Bloom the yeast: Subtract about ¼ cup of warm water called for in the recipe. Add one teaspoon of sugar and the yeast, and gently stir with a spoon. Allow the yeast to feed off the sugar and begin to bubble (If it doesn’t bubble after 5 minutes, your yeast may be expired) let it bloom for about 10 minutes.
It is not necessary to bloom newly purchased yeast. Instead, they can be added directly to the dry ingredients.
Prepare the flour: Sift the flour and measure 3 ½ cups (500 grams). Always measure flour AFTER sifting.
Make the dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer with a dough hook, put flour and yeast (or in a large mixing bowl if kneading by hand) and mix/stir for one minute. Add date syrup and oil and mix for one minute. Gradually add water, I always like to start with 1/2 cup and add as needed to form a dough. Add the salt and knead for 2-3 minutes. If the dough hasn’t come together, add a few drops of water. The dough will smooth out during kneading. Scrap the sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula to ensure all ingredients are incorporated, and knead for 8-10 minutes. Challah dough should be soft and stretchy.
If the dough feels sticky, grease it with a little bit of oil instead of adding more flour.
Let the dough rise: Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover it with a towel. Let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size.
Shape the dough: Sprinkle a little bit of flour on your work surface.
Roll the dough into a long rope. Spiral it around itself until you reach the end. Tuck the end under the bread.
*There are many options for braiding; watch my tutorials here.
Let the dough rise again: Place the loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover loosely with a towel and let it rise for about an hour at room temperature.
Prepare your oven: Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C.
Prepare to bake your Challah: Once the dough is proofed for the second time, brush the top of the loaf with maple syrup and sprinkle with flaxseeds. Bake the loaf for about 25 minutes. The best way to know when a Challah is ready is by checking its internal temperature. The ideal temperature for a fully cooked Challah is around 190-200°F (88-93°C). Insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the bread to get an accurate reading.
Let it cool before enjoying: Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely.
💡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 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.
The first rise: About an hour and a half or until the dough doubles. But that figure can also change radically, especially if it’s particularly cold weather, which will then require a few hours for the dough to increase in size. In summer, it can be much shorter.
FAQs
Yes! You can use 1/4 cup of granulated sugar or 4 tablespoons of honey.
Allow Challah to cool completely before storing it. Challah is always best when eaten within the same day of baking. Place in a plastic bag for up to 3 days.
Challah freezes beautifully, and you can freeze a whole loaf or slices. If you are going to freeze your bread, do so on the first day when it is fresh.
Wrap the loaf tightly in two layers of plastic wrap before placing it in a large resealable freezer bag. Press out as much air as possible and stow it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To defrost, leave the bread out at room temperature. When it has thawed, remove the plastic wrap and rewrap it in foil. If you like your bread warm, pop it into the oven at 350°F/180°C for 10-15 minutes.
Looking for More Recipes?
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Spelt Challah
Description
Equipment
- Food scale *Highly recommended*
- Mixer with a dough hook *Highly recommended*
- Instant read food thermometer *Highly recommended*
- Rolling pin optional
- Flour sifter optional
Ingredients
The dough:
- 3 1/2 cups (500 grams) Bob's Red Mill whole grain spelt flour plus a little more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon (10 grams) active dry yeast
- 4 tablespoons date syrup or honey or 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) canola oil and a little more for greasing
- 1 ¼ to 1 1⁄2 cups (300-360 ml) lukewarm water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the topping:
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) real maple syrup or honey with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt
- A handful of flaxseed optional
Instructions
- *Highly recommended* Prepare the flour: Sift the flour and measure 3 ½ cups (500 grams). Always measure flour AFTER sifting.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with a dough hook, (or in a large mixing bowl if kneading by hand) put flour and yeast and mix on low speed for about a minute.
- Add the date syrup and oil and mix for another minute.
- Slowly pour in the water and mix to form the dough. If after 2 to 3 minutes, the dough hasn’t come together and there are pieces of dough at the bottom of the mixer, add a few drops of water.
- Increase the speed to medium and add the salt. Let the mixer knead for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed.
- Transfer the dough from the mixing bowl to a very lightly floured work surface. Finish kneading by hand – stretching, tearing and pushing the dough away from you, folding it back on itself, giving it a quarter turn, and repeating. Finally, give it a nice round shape.
- Grease the dough with a little bit of oil, cover it with a kitchen towel, place the bowl somewhere warm and let the dough rise until doubled. It can take 1 to 3 hours at room temperature.
- Roll the dough into a long rope. Spiral it around itself until you reach the end. Tuck the end under the bread.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the Challah on it. Place the pan somewhere warm, cover it with a towel, and let it rise until puffed, about an hour.
- Heat the oven to 400°F/200°C. When ready to bake, brush the Challah all over the with the maple syrup. Sprinkle on flaxseed.
- Slide the Challah on its baking sheet into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. The Challah is done when it is a dark brown (the syrup already makes the dough darker in color) and registers 190°F/90°C in the very middle with an instant-read thermometer.
- Let the Challah cool on a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- 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 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.
- The first rise: About an hour and a half or until the dough doubles. But that figure can also change radically, especially if it’s particularly cold weather, which will then require a few hours for the dough to increase in size. In summer, it can be much shorter.
12 comments
Love it
thank you
Love this recipe
thank you
Turned out amazing!
yay
love it!
thank you
Where can I find spelt?
I buy from Amazon
The dough was a little hard to work with but came out great!
Added a little bit more water than in the recipe. Came out great