Easy Cinnamon Challah {Recipe} (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour to use for challah? ›

Myrna's original recipe calls for all-purpose flour, and you can substitute that here. But I find bread flour gives the challah a nice chew without making it tough, and also helps the braided loaf maintain its shape after baking. For some novice challah makers, that braid can seem like the hardest part.

Oil: Vegetable oil, generally used in making challah, is fine—and produces neutral-tasting bread. I prefer olive oil and love the slightly herbal note it imparts to my bread. If using raisins: Make sure the raisins are plump and not desiccated, if using.

If your challahs are risen out instead of up, it's likely that your dough is too soft or too wet. Add another 1/2 – 1 cup of flour to it next time and see if that solves your problem. Or put in just a little less water than the recipe calls for.

Substituting butter: If you don't need to keep a kosher table, you can substitute melted butter for the oil in this recipe. Storage: Wrap cooled challah tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Be careful not to over proof your loaves; if they proof too much, the air bubbles get too big, causing them to pop and then deflate in the oven.

Fresh yeast is something I personally prefer for challahs simply because it works so well and when it's very fresh, it tastes very nice. A typical challah recipe of 5 lbs. / 2.4 – 2.5 kilos of flour will call for 2.5 – 3 ounces of fresh yeast, depending on who is giving you the recipe.

Does olive oil make dough softer? Yes - adding olive oil to sourdough bread will result in a softer crust and crumb. The oil as a lipid coats the flour and inhibits the gluten network resulting in a softer, tighter crumb and softer crust. This can be a desirable outcome if you do not like tough, chewy sourdough crusts.

Canola oil is, without doubt, one of the best types of oil for baking. It's preferred in many recipes since it has the most neutral flavor compared to other types of oil.

2. Coconut oil can be substituted 1:1 for other fats. When it comes to baking, coconut oil makes a wonderful substitute for butter and other oils, like olive oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil. Regardless of the type of fat used in a recipe, you can swap in an equal amount of coconut oil.

Knowing When To Stop Kneading. Kneading for 10-12 minutes by hand or 8-10 minutes in a mixer are the general standards; if you've been massaging the dough for that length of time, you can be pretty confident that you've done your job.

How to tell when challah is done? ›

Place the loaf in the oven and bake. After 35 minutes of baking, check the internal temperature of the loaf with your Thermapen ONE. If the lowest temp you see is 195–200°F (91–93°C), the bread is done. Let the bread cool before slicing, then serve and enjoy!

The process involves two long room temperature rises: the first, 8-10 hours and the second, 4-5 hours. I suggest kneading the dough Thursday evening, letting it rise overnight, then forming the loaves Friday morning. With this timing, you are ready to break the challah around 12/1PM on Friday.

Type of flour: A good-quality bread flour is ideal for strong dough. I personally use this one. If you don't have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour (do not use a “self-rising” version). Amount of flour: The key to a soft loaf that isn't dense is to use as little flour as possible.

Jewish bakeries use oil so the challah can be eaten with a dairy or meat meal, but we use butter because it tastes so much better. To make a traditional loaf, you can substitute a neutral vegetable oil like canola, corn or sunflower oil.

Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Prep your egg wash by whisking together the egg and water in a small bowl. Egg wash and bake: When the second rise is up and your oven is preheated, use a pastry brush to coat the exterior of the loaf with egg wash, making sure to get in all the nooks and crannies.

Bread flour is higher in protein content (typically 12-14% compared to all purpose flour's protein of 8-11%). This higher protein content promotes a strong gluten formation in the bread dough as it kneads, providing more elasticity, greater strength, and a slightly chewier texture.

For Crispy and Chewy Pizza Crust, Use 00 Flour

00 flour is finely ground Italian flour that contains about 12% protein, or 12% gluten. It's the traditional flour used to make Neapolitan-style pizza.

Flour: For a tender crust, choose a low-protein flour. Pastry flour, with a protein content of about 8-10%, ranks between all-purpose flour and cake flour. All-purpose flour works just fine for pie crusts, while cake flour might lack enough protein to form a workable, elastic dough.