Tina Wasserman’s round-up of challah recipes for a sweet new year

By Tina Wasserman

The countdown has begun! Your Rosh Hashanah invites are, hopefully, out and received. You’ve looked at your menu and wondered if you should add a new recipe or two or eliminate the one no one liked last year. Hopefully you have already recruited people to bring some of the dishes, especially if you are hosting Break the Fast (remember, I told you years ago that you don’t want to be sitting in Neilah thinking about how you would get all the food ready to serve).

So, now is the perfect time to start experimenting on your challot recipes and shapes. Wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil, your challah will be ready for blessings and sharing next month. I am including my basic recipe for those who want to concentrate on the shape, my star-shaped recipe for those who like to potchke, my Algerian challah recipe that can be egg-free, and a gluten-free challah from my dear friend and rabbi, Debra Robbins.

In addition, here are some links to shaping some of the challot recipes:

Two ways to make a round challah: tinyurl.com/tina-round-challah.

Making and shaping the Star video: This video shows how to make the dough as well as how to form the dough to make the star. If you only want to see how to form the star, then skip to 10:52 in the video: tinyurl.com/tina-star-challah.

Basic Easy Challah

I have taken my tried-and-true challah recipe and streamlined the steps to make it so easy that even a novice can prepare this delicious bread for Yontiff!  Watch any of the videos to learn how to shape the round challah of your choice.
7 cups bread flour + ½ cup more if needed

2 packets rapid-rise yeast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup corn oil (or other vegetable oil) + 1 tablespoon for greasing bowl

1½ cups water or Simply Apple juice

¾ cup sugar

Egg wash:

1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon honey

1. Place 7 cups flour, yeast and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.  Turn machine on to low (#1) for 10 seconds to combine. 

2. Lightly beat eggs and vanilla with a fork in a 1-quart bowl until combined. Set aside.

3. Measure oil in a 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Set aside.

4. Measure water or juice in a 2-cup glass measuring cup.  Add the sugar and stir once or twice. Microwave water/sugar on high for exactly 1 minute 20 seconds.

5. Turn mixer on to low (#1). Immediately add the hot water/sugar mixture straight from the microwave, then add the eggs and then the oil, in that order.

6. Turn mixer to medium (#2) and continue mixing with dough hook for six minutes. If necessary, add some of the remaining flour to the bowl.  Make sure that there are no pockets of flour on the bottom of your bowl.  If necessary, stop the mixer and scrape up residual flour so it gets incorporated when you turn the mixer on again.

7. If adding additional ingredients to the bread dough, add them now.

8. Turn the machine back on to medium (#2) for another 2–3 minutes. The mixture should be satiny smooth and not sticky if touched with your floured finger.

9. Grease a 4-quart bowl with the extra tablespoon of oil. Add the dough to the bowl, turning it over to coat on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1½ hours. (I like to use an out-of-the-way corner in my kitchen or a warming drawer set on low.) Dough can also be put in the refrigerator to rise overnight.

10. When dough is ready, remove from bowl, punch it gently with your fist and cut into 3 or 4 pieces.  

11. Shape dough into loaves or braided loaves. Place formed breads on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets and let rise until light and doubled (about 30 minutes to an hour).

12. Preheat the oven to 325 F. For even baking, use 2 ovens if possible.

13. Mix the egg wash ingredients together in a small glass bowl with a fork or bar whisk. Brush the tops of the loaves with the egg wash and place the cookie sheets on the lower-third racks of your ovens.

14. As soon as you place the loaves in the oven, turn up the temperature to 350 F. Bake the loaves for 25 minutes or until they are golden brown and have a hollow sound when tapped (internal temperature between 195–200 F). Cool completely before slicing.

Tina’s tidbits:

Personalize your challah any way you like:

• Add 2 tablespoons poppy seeds to the flour and 1 cup dark raisins in step #7.

• Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon to the flour and 1 cup finely chopped apples in step #7.

• Add 1½ teaspoons vanilla with the eggs and 8 ounces chocolate chips in step #7.

• Add grated zest of 1 orange to the flour, substitute ¼ cup orange juice for ¼ cup of the water and add 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries in step #7.

Apple Filled Star Challah

Not for the faint of heart, but not nearly as difficult as you think. Make two so you can have one for Rosh Hashanah and one for Erev Yom Kippur. Watch the video so you can see how it’s shaped. The apple mixture can be made days in advance and warmed before spreading on the dough.

Bread dough:

2 cups whole-wheat flour

6 cups white bread flour

2 packages rapid rise yeast

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup corn, canola or avocado oil plus 1 tablespoon for greasing bowl

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1½ cups unfiltered apple juice or apple cider

¾ cup sugar

1 recipe for apple filling

Egg wash: 

1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water

Apple filling:

4 large Honeycrisp or Fuji apples, about 2½ pounds

½ cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons cornstarch combined with 2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons coconut oil or unsalted butter

1/3 cup or more wildflower or clover honey, as needed

1. In a large mixer bowl, combine 2 cups of the whole-wheat flour with 5 cups of the bread flour, the yeast, cinnamon and salt. Turn machine on to low (#1) for 10 seconds to combine.

2. Measure 1 cup of the oil in a 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Set aside.

3. Lightly beat eggs and vanilla with a fork in a 1-quart bowl until combined. Set aside.

4. Measure the apple juice or cider in a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Add the sugar and stir once or twice. Microwave juice/sugar mixture on high for exactly 1 minute 20 seconds.

5. Turn mixer on to low (#1). Immediately add the hot juice/sugar mixture straight from the microwave, then add the eggs and then the oil—in that order.

6. Turn mixer to medium (#2) and continue mixing with dough hook for 6 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary to incorporate all the flour before adding any additional flour. If dough is too sticky, add as much as 1 cup more flour until a floured finger poked into the dough comes out clean.

7. Grease a 4-quart bowl with the extra tablespoon of oil. Add the dough to the bowl, turning the dough over to coat it on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (I like to use an out-of-the-way corner in my kitchen or a warming drawer set on low.) Dough can also be put in the refrigerator to rise overnight.

Apple filling:

1. While dough is rising, if you haven’t already done so, make the apple filling.

2. Peel, core and cut apples into ¼-inch dice.

3. Heat a 10-inch nonstick pan over medium-high heat for 10 seconds and then add the diced apples and brown sugar. Stir the apple mixture until the apples begin to give up their juices (about 3–4 minutes). Turn down the heat if the apples look like they are browning.

4. Add the spices to the apples and cook, stirring often, until the apples are tender but not mushy and some of the liquid has evaporated (about another 4 minutes).

5. Stir the cornstarch and water together to dissolve and then add to the apples, stirring constantly as you do so. The mixture will be shiny and no liquid will be visible.

6. Turn off the heat and add the coconut oil or butter. Stir to combine and then set aside to cool while dough is rising or cover and refrigerate until needed (up to two days).

To assemble the bread:

1. Punch down the dough and divide into 4 equal pieces (or 8 if you want to make 2 smaller rounds about 8 inches in diameter). Divide the apple mixture in half ONLY if you are making 2 smaller loaves.

2. Roll the first piece of dough into a 12-inch circle (8 inches for a smaller loaf) on a floured board. Brush a thin layer of honey over the dough and then 1/3 of the apple mixture over that.

3. Continue the previous steps with the remaining pieces of dough ending with the fourth circle of dough. Gently pull the top layer over and pinch all the layers together.

4. Place a 3-inch glass bowl or cup face down in the center of the bread and lightly trace around it with a knife to mark a circle. Remove the glass. Make 12 cuts from the line of the circle to the edge of the dough. (I find it easiest to imagine a clock, making my first cuts at 12, 6, 3 and 9 and then filling in the other cuts evenly.) Make sure you cut through all layers of the dough.

5. Working in pairs around the dough (clock!), take a wedge of dough in each hand and twist them over once away from each other. Pinch the middle bottom of the pair together. Repeat with the remaining 5 pairs and then pinch the ends of each dough pair together to form a circle that has the design of a Jewish star in the middle and little stripes of spiced apple peeking through.

6. Carefully transfer the dough to a parchment-lined cookie sheet and allow it to rise for 30–45 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash and place the cookie sheet in the lower third of your oven.

8. Bake for 30–35 minutes, depending on the size of the round and the heat of your oven. When the bread is done, it will be golden brown and have a hollow sound when tapped. You can also insert an instant-read thermometer into the center; if it registers around 195–205 F, it is done.

9. Always allow the bread to cool for at least 20–30 minutes before cutting.

Yields two 10-inch or one  large round challah.

Round Algerian Challah

Shaped in a loaf, a braid or a round spiral, this challah can be made egg-free and is delicious all year long. But check out the suggestion for spiced apple stuffing for the bread, a great addition to your Shabbat or Rosh Hashanah meal!

8 cups bread or all-purpose flour (or a combination)

2 packages rapid rise yeast

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

2 cups water

¾ cup corn oil

2 tablespoons sugar

Zest of ½ medium orange, finely grated or chopped

1 ½ teaspoons orange blossom water

1 egg yolk + 1 teaspoon water

¼ cup sesame seeds

1. Combine 7 cups of the flour, yeast and salt in the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.

2. Place the water, oil, sugar and orange zest in a 4-cup glass measuring cup and microwave for 1½ minutes. Stir to dissolve the sugar and then microwave on high for another 30 seconds until the water is very warm (130 F). Remove from the microwave and test with your finger to make sure it is hot but not hot enough to hurt. Add the orange blossom water.

3. With the machine running on #2 (or medium), immediately add the warm water/oil mixture to the mixing bowl. If necessary, stop the machine after a minute and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to incorporate all the flour.

4. Gradually add most or all of the remaining flour to the bowl and keep mixing for another 7 minutes. If you want, you can knead the dough by hand for 7–10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until the flour is all incorporated and the dough is satiny smooth. Oiling your hands might help when kneading the dough.

5. Turn your oven on for 1 minute (it doesn’t matter what temperature, as it will barely heat). Turn the oven off.

6. Oil a 4-quart bowl and place the dough in the bowl, turning it around once to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Place the bowl of dough in the TURNED-OFF (but slightly warm) oven. Let the dough rise for 1½ hours or until it has risen to the top of the bowl.

7. When dough has risen, remove plastic wrap, punch down the dough and place on a flat surface. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces.  

8. Shape each piece into a thick rope about 2 inches thick and 12 inches long.  Coil the dough around itself and tuck the end under to make a large, slightly domed spiral of dough.  Place shaped loaf on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and return to the turned off oven.  Let the dough rise for 45 minutes to an hour.

9. Remove loaves of bread from the oven. 

10. If you have two ovens, preheat both to 350 F. If not, make sure you place the shelves so that there is enough room for the loaves on the bottom to rise.

11. Beat the egg yolk in a small glass dish with 1 teaspoon water.  Brush this egg wash over the loaves of bread and then sprinkle each loaf with a tablespoon of sesame seeds.

12. Bake the loaves of bread for 25 minutes or until bread sounds hollow when tapped with your finger.  Remove from oven and immediately cover the loaves with a kitchen towel.  When cool, wrap tightly with plastic wrap or foil.

Yields four  loaves.

Tina’s tidbits:

• The water should be uncomfortably hot when you dip a finger into the mixture but not hot enough to hurt or burn. It is best to use an instant-read thermometer if you have one, especially if you are cooking with a very young child.

• If you truly need to make this bread egg free, mix 1 teaspoon honey into 2 tablespoons water and brush that on top of the bread before sprinkling with sesame seeds.

• Orange blossom water gives a subtle flavor to the bread.  If you don’t have it, add ½ teaspoon orange extract or vanilla to the dough instead.

• Breads in the Maghreb (North Africa) are often shaped into spirals.  Jews in Algeria often shape a bird out of the dough or place a dough bird on top of the loaf to symbolize our wishes going to heaven. 

Gluten-Free Challah
Adapted from Rabbi Debra Robbins

Sometimes the teacher becomes the student. In the case of this recipe, my dear friend and rabbi has always been one of my go-to people when I am creating gluten-free recipes (Bernice Sherling is the other GF guru). Here is a recipe that Rabbi Robbins has been using for years with her own sweet adaptation, and here I share it with you with a few of my cooking tips thrown in for good measure!

½ cup golden raisins (optional)

2 tablespoons apple liquor or boiled-down apple cider (optional; see Tidbits)

1 ½ cups water

1 packet dried yeast or 2½ teaspoons (rapid-rise or regular)

¼ cup honey — wildflower or other dark variety

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

3 cups 1:1 gluten-free flour — Bob’s Red Mill, King Arthur or Trader Joe’s

1½ teaspoons xanthan gum powder

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon table salt (not kosher salt)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

1. If using, soak the raisins in the apple liquor or boiled-down cider (see Tidbits). Set aside.

2. Heat the water in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup for 30 seconds in a microwave until it becomes hot to the touch but only about 115–120 F. Your finger should not have to instantly retreat from the heat. Immediately add the yeast and honey and stir to combine. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes until the mixture has foamed significantly, but make sure it doesn’t overflow the cup. Set aside.

3. Combine the olive oil, eggs and vinegar in a 1-quart bowl and mix with a fork until combined. Set aside.

4. Place the gluten-free flour, xanthan gum powder, baking powder, salt and cinnamon (if using) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Turn mixer on for 5 seconds to combine the ingredients.

5. Add the yeast mixture and the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes or until thoroughly combined.  You might need to stop the mixing and scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice.

6. Add the soaked raisins and any remaining liquid to the dough and mix until the raisins are distributed.

7. Spray 1 large or 2 smaller silicone pans with cooking spray and divide the dough evenly between the two. Tap the pans and smooth out the dough so that the dough is uniformly distributed.

8. Lightly cover the pans with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place on a cookie sheet in a warm, draft-free spot. Allow the dough to rise for 20–30 minutes.

9. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350 F convection or 375 F regular.

10. Carefully place the pans in the oven. Bake for 20–30 minutes.

11. Remove the breads from the oven and carefully unmold them onto a cooling rack. Quickly brush the tops with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with the sesame seeds, if using.

12. Gently return the breads to their molds or pans and bake for an additional 15–20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 210 F as registered on an instant-read thermometer. Immediately unmold onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.

Yields one larger or two smaller loaves of bread.

Tina’s and Debbie’s tidbits:

• King Arthur has Boiled Cider and Cinnamon Sweet Chips that Debra often uses. If you don’t have these products, boil ½ cup apple cider until it is reduced to 1/3-¼ cup and use 2 tablespoons to soak your raisins. Refrigerate the rest for future use.

• Hot tap water can be used instead of microwaving your water, but be careful, as some sinks produce hot water that is over 130 F, and that might kill the yeast.

• Debbie uses the silicone molds that look like challot and places them directly on the oven racks. I prefer placing them on a cookie sheet for stability, but it’s her recipe, so I am giving you both alternatives.