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my granny’s challah

This past year plus that we’ve spent at home, one of the things that has brought me peace is baking challah. I don’t pretend to be more observant than I am- I bake, often weekly, not always timed freshly for Shabbat, but for joy of cooking and eating, for cultural connection. And in many ways, my baking routine has become meditative for me.

One of my favorite cousins gave my my granny’s challah recipe the week after David and I got married- it’s a handwritten treasure.

Granny didn’t have much higher education but had the loveliest spirit, and was aces at welcoming someone into her home and table. I adored her. She passed away my sophomore year in college, right before David and I got seriously involved, and I always talk about how much she would have loved him. It gives me a serious warm fuzzy to bake for my family as she did for hers.

As quarantine began, I tried a few different recipes I’d found well-reviewed online, and felt a bit like goldilocks.I read and loved Modern Jewish Baker, and learned so much from it. Eventually, I returned to my granny’s challah recipe, with a few amendments.

6 cups flour

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup oil

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs, plus one for egg wash

1 1/3 cup warm water

4 teaspoons yeast (two packets)

In a stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix water, two eggs, oil, honey, salt and yeast.

Add flour- the first half all at once, then a cup at a time, continuing to knead with dough hook till dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer to oiled bowl to rise until doubled, 1.5-2 hours.

Punch down, divide, and braid or shape. Mix egg with a splash of water and brush on freshly shaped bread.

Set to rise for another half hour, and preheat oven to 350. Brush with egg wash a second time before placing in oven.

Bake 30 minutes, or until deep golden, shiny, and hollow-sounding when tapped.

And this dough is super versatile- you could use it for stuffed challah or babkas too, and I especially like using it to make buns for homemade lobster rolls. A good sub is the frozen langostino tails from Trader Joe’s, with loads of chopped fresh herbs.

It knots nicely, makes the yummiest sliders, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I often make extra for french toast, as well as bribing friends and neighbors.

A few tips and tricks-

⁃ use the same measuring cup for honey and oil- oil first will make the honey much more cooperative.

⁃ our apartment is drafty, so I make our microwave into a rising box- try it if your dough isn’t rising the way it should. Microwave a cup of water for a minute or two to raise the ambient temperature and humidity, and then put your bowl in there to rise.