Author Notes: I make challah every week, for the Jewish Sabbath. This one uses a combination of white and whole wheat flour. (It still has lots of eggs, honey, and oil so I’m not sure how healthy it is, but it sure is delicious!) – Ordinary Blogger (Rivki Locker) —Ordinary Blogger (Rivki Locker)
Food52 Review: This was my first time making challah, but it certainly won’t be my last. What a beautiful, delicious, soft-as-a-cloud bread! There’s just the right amount of honey and I love the flavor and texture that comes from the whole wheat. Everything is in perfect balance. I did have to look up on the internet how to braid 4 strands together, but once I got it, it looked great. Also, be aware that this recipe makes *a lot* of bread. I halved the recipe and still there was so much dough that my Kitchen Aid mixer was bucking and shimmying all over the counter! Or, maybe it was doing an celebratory dance for this wonderful bread! – vrunka —vrunka
Makes: 6 large loaves
Ingredients
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4.5
tablespoons dry yeast (5 small packets)
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3 1/4
cups warm water
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6
eggs
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11
cups white flour
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8
cups whole wheat flour
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1/2
cup sugar
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1
cup honey
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3/4
cup oil
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3
tablespoons kosher salt
Directions
- Mix the yeast and water together in a large mixing bowl. Add a drop of honey. Let sit for about 5 minutes till it starts bubbling.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. If you’re using a mixer (I use a Bosch mixer which handles five pounds easily), mix for about five minutes until smooth. If you’re kneading by hand, it’ll take more like ten minutes (sorry!) but you’ll get such satisfaction it’ll all be worth it.
- Find a warm toasty spot (I use my bedroom!) and let the dough rise for 1-2 hours, till doubled. Take challah, with a blessing. Braid into six or seven loaves (I make mine with four strands of dough), lay the loaves on baking sheets, and then let rise for another hour.
- Prepare an egg wash using 2 eggs and about 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the loaves with egg.
- Preheat the oven to 350* and once it’s hot, bake the challah for about 45 minutes until golden.
- Let the Challah cool completely on cooling racks before wrapping in bags and using or freezing.
/012f998f-5ae7-46a2-99c2-c49d10626982--challah_0123.JPG "Honey Wheat Challah 2")
