Honey Whole Wheat Challah Recipes

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• Put the warm water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl or measuring cup. Set aside for a few minutes for yeast to proof (rise).
• Mix whole wheat flour and salt. Add oil, honey, and eggs, then add the proofed yeast mixture.
• Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled (around 1 hour, depending on weather and temperature.)
• Shape challahs, and then let rise for another hour.
• Bake at 350F/180C until deep brown and cooked through, 25-40 mins, depending on size of challahs.

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix yeast, warm water and 1 cup of bread flour into a thin batter, and let stand until the mixture shows frothy bubbles, about 10 minutes. Stir in vegetable oil, honey, 3 eggs, and salt until well combined. Beat in 2 more cups of bread flour and the whole wheat flour, alternating flours by cupfuls, until the dough is too stiff to stir in more flour.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, adding more flour if needed to form a slightly sticky dough. Form the dough into a round shape. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn the dough over a few times to oil the surface. Cover the bowl with a plastic bag, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
• Punch down the dough, knead it a few times to remove some of the bubbles, and cut it into 3 equal-sized pieces. Cut the first piece into 3 equal parts. Set the rest of the dough aside under a cloth to prevent drying out while you braid the first loaf.
• Working on a floured surface, roll the small dough pieces into ropes about the thickness of your thumb and about 12 inches long. Ropes should be fatter in the middle and thinner at the ends. Pinch 3 ropes together at the top and braid them. Starting with the strand to the right, move it to the left over the middle strand (that strand becomes the new middle strand.) Take the strand farthest to the left, and move it over the new middle strand. Continue braiding, alternating sides each time, until the loaf is braided, and pinch the ends together and fold them underneath for a neat look. Repeat for the other 2 loaves, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and let rise until doubled, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl, and brush the egg mixture over the braided challah loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are a deep golden brown and the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 40 minutes. Cool on a rack before slicing.

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in water in a large bowl. Add eggs, honey, salt, oil, and about three and a half cups flour. Mix well, by hand or with mixer.
• Add remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead for five to ten minutes, adding more flour, if necessary. Use as little flour as possible for a lighter texture.
• Let rise one and a half to two hours. Punch down. Let rise again until double.
• Shape into two braided challahs. Place challahs on baking sheets. Let rise again until doubled.
• Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if desired.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or 375 degrees for 35 minutes, until golden brown.

IRRESISTIBLE WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, yeast, and vital wheat gluten until well mixed. In another bowl, stir together the honey, olive oil, water, eggs, and raisins. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture, and stir until it forms a dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Form the dough into a round shape. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn the dough over a few times to oil the surface. Cover the bowl with a cloth, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough, knead it a few times to remove some of the bubbles, and cut it into 2 equal-sized pieces. Set 1 piece of dough aside under a cloth to prevent drying out while you shape or braid the first loaf as desired.
• Working on a floured surface, roll the small dough pieces into ropes about the thickness of your thumb and about 12 inches long. Ropes should be fatter in the middle and thinner at the ends. Pinch 3 ropes together at the top and braid them. Starting with the strand to the right, move it to the left over the middle strand (that strand becomes the new middle strand.) Take the strand farthest to the left, and move it over the new middle strand. Continue braiding, alternating sides each time, until the loaf is braided, and pinch the ends together and fold them underneath for a neat look. Repeat for the other loaf, place the braided loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm for best flavor.

HONEY CHALLAH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup warm water. Separate two eggs; refrigerate two egg whites. Place remaining egg yolks and eggs in a large bowl. Add 2/3 cup honey, oil, salt, yeast mixture, 3 cups flour and remaining warm water; beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Pour boiling water over raisins in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Knead in raisins. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1-1/2 hours., Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Divide one portion into six pieces. Roll each into a 16-in. rope. Place ropes parallel on a greased baking sheet; pinch ropes together at the top. , To braid, take the rope on the right and carry it over the two ropes beside it, then slip it under the middle rope and carry it over the last two ropes. Lay the rope down parallel to the other ropes; it is now on the far left side. Repeat these steps until you reach the end. As the braid moves to the left, you can pick up the loaf and re-center it on your work surface as needed. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under. For a fuller loaf, using your hands, push the ends of the loaf closer together. Repeat process with remaining dough. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg whites and honey with water; brush over loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.

MA'S WHOLE WHEAT HONEY CHALLAH

Steps:

• Place the warm water in the mixing bowl and add yeast, oil, honey, and salt. Mix well and let set 2-3 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time and for an extra rich dough add the sixth yolk and set the white aside. Do not add the final egg.
• To this mixture now add all the bread flour and 1 cup of the whole wheat flour and the gluten. Mix for a 2 minutes.
• Add flax, and poppy seeds.
• Add in the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time. It may take more or less. Take your time, at least five minutes. Switching to dough hooks when needed. Do not get in a hurry.
• When you have a nice soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl, dump it onto a slightly floured counter and knead until you push on the dough with your index finger and it springs back.
• Put the dough into a large sprayed bowl, cover with a linen tea towl, non-terry, and set in a warm place to double.
• When doubled punch down and knead slightly.
• Cut dough in 1/2 and then each 1/2 into 3 pieces. Roll each piece on the counter to form tubes and braid these tubes to form two loaves. Be sure to pinch and tug your ends under. Braid up, lifting each strand to make snug. You are not wanting length but heighth.
• Place each loaf into the center of a sprayed cookie sheet and let almost double. While rising preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
• When almost doubled. Beat your reserved white and egg. Use this to glaze your loaves and then sprinkle with poppyseed and kosher salt.
• Bake to a golden rich brown. This generally takes 35-40 minutes.
• Additional note: For the Rosh Hashanah add 1/2 cup of mixed dried diced fruits and nuts at the end of the initial mixing of the flours. Do not braid but form two large tubes and use them to make two crown shaped spirals, like a turban, pinching and tucking the ends. When glazed sprinkle with almond slivers and course ground sugar.

BREAD MACHINE HONEY WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• Add water, eggs, olive oil, honey, sugar, and flour to the bread machine bowl in that order.
• Make a well on top of the flour mound and add the yeast.
• Add salt along the side of the flour mound.
• Set your bread maker to run a "dough" cycle.
• Remove dough and braid challah (this is the fun part! See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0kf0MFRpXg for instructions.).
• (Optional) For a professional look, coat the braided challah with egg using a basting brush, and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
• Bake at 325 F for 30-40 minutes.