Challah Baking 101

This post contains actual photos from my ofoto archives (ah, the days before flickr)...

The year was 2005. I had just graduated from college and was employed as a fellow at Hillel's Schusterman International Center along with several other people who would soon become my very good friends. I sat in a cubicle and spent lots of time on the phone with Jewish college students across the country talking about Tzedek (tzedek means justice).

Fast forward February, 2006. An all staff e-mail is sent out: the office would be hosting our very own challah bake off. Yes, that's right. A competition to see who could bake the best challah. The competition would be stiff. Several of the contestants were very observant Jewish women who had been baking challah on a weekly basis for many years and had learned the secrets of this eggy, sweet, delicious shabbat staple from their mothers.

I, on the other hand, had made my share of challah but certainly not on a weekly basis. And the recipes I was using were not handed down from generations, rather melded together from some Martha Stewart, Joy of Cooking (or as my dad would say, "you've got Your Joy" in a heavy and fake New York accent), and Joan Nathan. My mom taught me many things (how to create hospital corners when making a bed, the importance of organized filing systems with the tabs all on one side to be more pleasing to the eye, how to parallel park), but baking challah was not on the list. So, I was extremely nervous.

My friend Jill S. (then Jill A.) was also competing. This added an entirely new wrinkle to the challah competition. What if Jill beat me? What if I won and Jill didn't even place? Would this drive a wedge (or braided bread, if you will) between us? I was also worried about my professional reputation. Would my colleagues judge me if I thought my challah was good enough to enter into the competition but tuned out to be dry and flavorless compared to the
other entries?


So the day of the bake-off arrived. I woke up at 4:00 AM to put the loaves I had braided the night before in the oven. I nervously watched them through my oven window to ensure even browning and no burning. I removed them a few minutes before they were totally done and wrapped them in aluminum foil to transport to the office and keep warm. The morning seemed to drag, until finally, the bake-off began.

All the challot (plural for challah) were lined up in the lounge area of our office building. The judging was blind as each entry received a number so the judges could not be swayed by the winning personalities of the contestants.

After about 15 intense minutes of waiting around and being nervous, the results were announced. Jill won the "best flavor" category and our colleague, Elizabeth M., won for the "best overall" category. I won for "best texture" and have yet to stop bragging about this since. I try to work this fact about myself into the first five minutes of conversation when I meet someone new.

We then packed into the elevator and scrambled back to my cube where I called my mom to share the amazing news. I remember turning around while on the phone to see my work friends tearing gobs of challah off the extra loaf I had prepared and feeling really fantastic about my challah baking abilities.

So this brings us to a quick GChat conversation I had with Urban-Planning-NYU-student-spending-the-summer-in-DC-friend Gwen L. about a challah baking workshop. It went something like this:

Gwen: Can you teach me how to bake challah sometime before I go back to New York?
Emily: When are you free? I love baking challah!
Gwen: I am free tomorrow night, can you dig it?
Emily: Yes! Bring a bottle of wine and three packets of yeast.

(the actual conversation involved lots of scheduling back and forth which has been removed for ease of posting)

So this past Tuesday night, I hosted a little challah baking workshop in my apartment! It was such a fun time, I'm thinking of making it a more regular occurrence. Gwen L., Elissa F., Allison G., and Sara F., arrived around 6:00 and by 9:30 we had six beautiful loaves of challah and the apartment smelled amazing. We talked about the importance of adding lots of delicious ingredients and the fact that most recipes will tell you to sift the flour but I never actually do. Then we let the dough rise and took a break with some wine. After punching the dough down, we discussed the merits of the three braid versus the six braid approach and let the challot rise again. Before putting the challah in the oven, I also threw some chocolate chips into one of the loaves (delicious!) and taught Gwen L. how to properly apply the egg wash. I went to sleep well after my usual bedtime but it was WELL worth it.

And for those of you who asked, here's the general recipe I usually use: (TWO caveats first. This recipe is a combination of those mentioned above and the recipe from a lovely book called The World of Jewish Cooking which was a gift from one of my college roommates, Baylene W. AND similar to my thoughts on manicurists, it is not necessarily the recipe you use/the salon you go to, but WHO is making the challah/doing the manicure that determines success, so have no fear if you try this and it doesn't turn out well because I am happy to discuss best practices or explain in person.)

This recipe makes two large loaves, but I usually double the recipe and freeze the extra bread before the second rising...

Ingredients:
2 packages yeast
2 cups of warm water
2 cup of sugar or honey (raw honey from the farmer's market is delicious)
4 large eggs (or more if they're small--don't skimp on the eggs)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or butter at room temperature)
2 tablespoons kosher or sea salt (please use good salt, it makes a difference)
6-8 cups of all purpose flour (more or less depending on humidity)
1 egg beaten with some water for the aforementioned egg wash
poppy or sesame seeds or lots of chocolate chips

1. Start by dissolving the yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water. Throw in a few tablespoons of sugar or honey to proof the yeast. Let this mixture stand until it is foamy (about 10 minutes).
2. While the yeast is dissolving, add the remaining water, eggs, oil or butter, and salt to the bowl of a Kitchen Aid mixer (if you don't have one, come to my apartment and make the dough here--it is really difficult to make good challah dough without a good mixer or bread machine). Using the paddle attachment, combine the ingredients. Add the water, sugar, and yeast mixture and combine.
3. Add the flour, one cup at a time, until the mixture holds together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. At some point around the 3rd or 4th cup of flour, switch to the dough hook attachment.
4. Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (10 minutes). Place the dough in a large greased bowl (the dough will really increase in size, so make sure the bowl is large enough) and allow it to rise, covered, in a cool dry place. This usually takes 1 1/2 hours or can be left in the fridge overnight.
5. Punch the dough down and knead it again. This is the time to throw in chocolate chips if you wish (and who doesn't like chocolate chips in challah?). Shape the challah using techniques you learned during the Challah 101 workshop in my apartment (or view this sort of awkward video of how to make a six braided challah on YouTube).
   
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
7. Let the braided bread rise a second time on a greased baking sheet (usually 45 minutes).
8. Once the challot have risen the second time, brush them with egg wash (this is what makes the surface of the challah shiny). Bake until golden brown (about 35 minutes).
9. When you take 'em out of the oven, let them cool before touching or moving them. (This sometimes means keeping friends, roommates, and family members out of the kitchen all together but I leave the specific tactics to you.)