Whole Grain Challah Recipes

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.

WHOLE GRAIN CHALLAH

Steps:

• Please watch the video for detailed instructions. The following is intended as a general guideline to accompany the video.
• Combine the dry ingredients (not the seeds).
• Combine all the wet ingredients (except the egg wash) in a medium bowl.
• Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Knead the dough for 5-7 minute or do a series of 3 or 4 stretch-and-folds at 10-15 minute intervals.
• Let the dough rise in covered bowl until about doubled in volume. The time it takes can vary greatly depending mostly on room temperature. Figure on somewhere between 1 to 2 hours.
• Punch down the dough. On a flour dusted work surface, divide the dough into equally weighted balls (one ball for each strand you intend to braid).
• Roll the balls into strands and braid into whatever style suits your fancy. Reference YouTube for numerous options.
• Place loaf on parchment lined baking sheet, apply egg wash, sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds and cover with plastic wrap (mist plastic wrap with a spray of oil to prevent it sticking to dough). Over the next 1-2 hours the dough will rise about 50% to as much as nearly doubling.
• Place in 350º oven until the internal dough temperature reaches 190º. Bake time is about 18-20 minutes. Ovens vary, so the first time you make this bread, start checking the dough temp at about the 16 minute mark.
• Let cool for at least 15 minutes. Enjoy while fresh and warm.

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.

WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• Warm the water until it is baby-bath temperature.
• Add the yeast, yeast-energizer, and sugar. Make sure the yeast starts to bubble - this is how you'll know it's active.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, oil, 1 egg and cinnamon.
• Add the water-sugar-yeast mixture to the flour. Mix, then knead for 5 minutes. Recite and have in mind: Lichvod Shabbat Kodesh as you are kneading.
• Let rise in a warm place for 1.5 - 2 hours. Put a damp cloth over it.
• When it has doubled in size, punch down and knead for 3 more minutes. Braid into 2 loaves. Let rise 30-40 minutes.
• Nice Option: Right before baking, coat with egg yolk and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds.
• Bake at 180C for 30-40 minutes.

WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Steps:

• Activate yeast in 1/2 cup water with sugar.
• Beat in remaining 2 1/2 cups of water , 5 cups flour, oil, honey, two eggs and salt. Let rise 30-60 minutes.
• Punch down. Add the rest of the flour slowly while kneading, until dough no longer sticks to fingers. Cover with damp towel.
• Allow to rise again until double in size. Punch down. Shape into loaves.
• Place in well-greased loaf pans or braid and place on cookie sheets. Let rise for 30 minutes.
• Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.