May’s Daring Bakers’ Challenge was pretty twisted – Ruth from The Crafts of Mommyhood challenged us to make challah! Using recipes from all over, and tips from “A Taste of Challah,” by Tamar Ansh, she encouraged us to bake beautifully braided breads.
After this challenge, I can’t say “challah” without thinking “holla!”. I had so much fun with this one!
I made three different kinds of challah: plain honey white challah, whole wheat challah filled with apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup, and sourdough challah. Even more fun than all the different varieties were the different braiding techniques that Ruth, our host, encouraged us to try. I went for a six-strand braid, a five-strand braid, and a four-strand braided round. If you’ve never shaped bread like this before, challah is a great way to start: the dough was really easy to work with and good for braiding.
Honey white challah in a 6-strand braid
I enjoyed this challenge a lot. After it was announced, I was literally awake all night thinking about what kind of challah I would make (how much of a nerd am I?!). There is something SO satisfying and gratifying about taking a beautiful loaf of bread out of the oven, and challah, being as gorgeous as it is, is especially wonderful for boosting your ego ;). And not only does it look great, it tastes awesome! Light yet substantial and slightly sweet – wonderful for eating fresh but also perfect for french toast (try this baked version from Smitten Kitchen – awesome!).
Whole wheat challah filled with apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup in a 4-strand braided round
I usually make bread using my KitchenAid and the dough hook, but I decided to make all of these by hand to start getting a better idea of the way dough is supposed to feel (I often think I add too much flour when I use the mixer). Making bread by hand is easy, and kneading the dough (the “hard” part) is enjoyable in a sort of hypnotic, cathartic way – especially challah dough, which is quite soft and elastic.
Sourdough challah in a 5-strand braid
A few tips I picked up along the way:
1) If your challah splits or cracks in the oven, it’s a sign of underproofing (purely cosmetic – I actually thought it looked pretty awesome!). To avoid this, proof the loaf until you can poke it with you finger and the indent remains.
2) The challah dough is much easier to roll into logs for braiding if it is just a little bit sticky. I used a spray bottle of water to very lightly mist my rolling surface, which gave the dough something to grab onto as I rolled it (I discovered this on my third challah – I wish I’d figured it out earlier!).
Thank you Ruth for this AWESOME AWESOME challenge! I loved it and I hope to make many more challot (did you know that the plural of challah is challot? See, you learn something new everyday!) in the future! Check out the Daring Kitchen for this month’s challot 
Here’s the recipes… (hold onto your hats, this is a long one!)
Honey White Challah
Adapted from Tammy’s Recipes. Makes 1 giant loaf.
In a measuring cup, mix together:
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp granulated white sugar
1 tbsp yeast
Proof for about 5 minutes until foamy, then pour it into a large bowl along with:
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
2 beaten eggs
3/4 tsp salt
Stir to mix, then stir in:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Mix to create a cohesive, kneadable dough. You may need to add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky.
Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding a light dusting of flour only when the dough starts to stick to your hands or the surface. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled.
Punch down the dough and divide it into six equal portions. Roll each portion out flat, then roll it up tightly like a jelly-roll to form six snakes of dough about 18″ long. If you want a tapered, football shaped loaf, taper the ends of each snake (I left mine un-tapered).
Braid according to the instructions in this post. Place the loaf on a greased or lined baking sheet, cover lightly, and proof for 30 minutes or longer, until your finger leaves an indent when you poke it. Brush thoroughly with an egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water).
Bake at 325˚F for 30 – 40 minutes, until well-browned and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a rack.
* * *
Whole Wheat Challah with Maple, Apples, and Cinnamon
Adapted from Ruth’s “Go-To” Whole Wheat Challah, which is adapted from D’s Whole Wheat Challah. The maple flavour in the dough was pretty subtle so I’ve increased the amount – if you are lucky enough to have maple extract, a little bit added here would be great. Brown sugar or honey would be good substitutes for the maple syrup. This is a filled challah meaning that every strand is rolled up with a filling of apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Makes 1 large loaf.
Dough
In a measuring cup, mix together:
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp yeast
Proof for about 5 minutes until foamy.
In a large bowl, combine:
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup melted butter, cooled
1 tsp salt
Add the proofed yeast mixture and stir in:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup rolled oats (any kind)
Stir to create a cohesive, kneadable dough, adding more all purpose flour as needed if the dough is too sticky. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 – 12 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding a light dusting of flour only when the dough starts to stick to your hands or the surface.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic, and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours or until doubled. Punch the dough down and let rise again for 30 minutes to an hour.
Filling
Peel and core:
2 tart apples
Cut them into a 1/2″ dice and mix with:
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
Set aside.
Assembly
Punch down the dough again and divide into four equal portions. Roll each one out into a 16″ – 18″ oval. Place 1/4 of the apple filling along one long edge of the dough, then roll it up to enclose the apples, pressing gently to squeeze out any air.
For the four-strand braided round, place the four strands as shown (notice the under-over pattern). To braid, move in one direction to place all the “under” strands on top of the “over” strands (moving counter-clockwise here):
Repeat, this time moving in the other direction (clockwise here). Keep going until you run out of dough:
Tuck the ends of dough in towards the middle, and very bravely and confidently flip the whole thing over, tucking the sides underneath to make it neat and compact:
Place on a greased or lined baking sheet, cover lightly with plastic, and proof for an hour or so, until you can poke it with your finger and the indent remains. Brush thoroughly with an egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water).
Bake at 350˚F for 30 – 50 minutes (the round shape may take a bit longer), until well-browned and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a rack.
* * *
Sourdough Challah
Adapted from Maggie Glezer’s “A Blessing of Bread”, via zolablue at The Fresh Loaf. This recipe requires a firm starter, which can be made by converting a 100% hydration “batter-style” starter (this takes at least a few days – instructions can be found here). There is some planning that goes into making this bread: the day before you want to bake, refresh your starter in the morning, then that night mix up the levain. Let it ferment overnight and then proceed with the recipe, which takes about 8 1/2 hours start to finish on baking day, most of which is resting time. It’s well worth it though – the flavour in this challah is awesome! Makes 1 large loaf (can be divided into smaller loaves or rolls as well).
Levain
The night before baking day, make the levain. In a bowl, mix together:
35 grams active firm starter, refreshed 8 – 12 hours earlier
80 grams warm water
Stir or knead to somewhat dissolve the starter in the water, then stir in:
135 grams bread flour
Knead this dough (it will be firm) until it is smooth. Weigh out 200 grams for use in this recipe and place it in a sealed container at least four times its volume (the remaining starter can be saved for the next time you bake). Let the levain ferment for 8 – 12 hours (overnight), until it has tripled in volume and is starting to flatten out and deflate.
Final Dough
In a large bowl, whisk together:
3 large eggs
55 grams vegetable oil
65 grams honey
5 grams salt
60 grams warm water
With a wooden spoon, mix in:
400 grams bread flour
Stir until a shaggy, sticky dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, flatten it out a bit and put the fermented levain in the middle. Fold the dough around the levain to enclose it, then knead until the dough is smooth (no more than 10 minutes), adding more flour as needed if it is too sticky. The dough should feel smooth and firm yet still easy to knead.
Place the dough in a warm bowl (soak your mixing bowl in hot water while you are kneading – a glass or ceramic bowl will hold the heat better than metal) and cover it with plastic. Let it ferment in a warm place for 2 hours. It probably won’t rise much, if at all.
For a 5-strand braid, divide the fermented dough into 5 equal pieces (just under 190 grams each) and roll them out into logs about 16″ long. Gather them together at one end and hold them with one hand. To braid, repeat these three moves:
1) Take the far right strand and move it left over top of 3 strands.
2) Take the far left strand and move it right over top of 2 strands.
3) Move the strand that is second from the left over top of the middle strand.
Keep going until you run out of dough, then tuck the ends under securely. Right now it looks like a regular 3-strand braid, but tip it to one side and you will see the twisted rope effect on top of the loaf (down each side looks like a 3-strand braid).
Place the braid, twisted rope up, on a silicon or parchment-lined baking sheet and cover it lightly with plastic. Proof in a warm place for about 5 hours, until about tripled in size (I think mine only doubled and it was fine) and an indent remains in the dough when you poke it with your finger. Brush thoroughly with an egg wash (1 egg and 1 tbsp water) and bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for 35 – 45 minutes, until deep brown and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom.
Cool on a rack before slicing.
* * *
Submitted to YeastSpotting.
Wau, Korena, your challahs look amazing and delicious. You are very talented at braiding bread!.
Thanks Zoka! I guess all that French braiding my mum’s hair when I was a kid paid off
Oh my, Korena – a gargantuan post
and I loved every second! They all looks delicious and I’m VERY happy that you did this by hand – I always think that learning how dough should feel is a really good thing to be doing. You are very talented at folding/shaping food it seems :D. Challah has been on my list for ages, but will only be attempted when I have plenty of time and feel like being frustrated. I don’t know if my skills extend to braiding…
Thanks Nick! I certainly enjoyed putting this post together so I’m glad you enjoyed reading it. You’re right about doing it by hand – a great skill to have. And the braiding isn’t that hard, I promise!
I did, I did. I’m not very gentle that’s the problem, Korena.
I have not seen a more beautiful tutorial for bread – thank you so much for sharing
Bookmarked
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks Uru, I hope it comes in handy
What a beauty! Your baked challah is a perfection!
Pozdrawiam, Anula.
Thanks for the kind words!
waou! tes challahs sont superbes et tes façonnages très beaux!! merci pour ce plaisir!!
Merci beaucoup, Kouky!
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome!!! All three of your loaves look (and sound) delicious! And you did a sourdough one, too! Yay! LOL. I also did a honey and apple challah, it was so delicious. Your tutorial on how to braid the challah is awesome, I just kind of wound mine around and hoped it turned out. Great job, Korena!
Thanks Jenni! The sourdough one was my favorite for sure
You are a-m-a-z-i-n-g! Your baking truly inspires! <3
Sibella
Aww thank you Sibella!
Your loaves all look so gorgeous!!! You were so much more ambitious than I was–I’m simply awful at braiding, so I just stuck with the 3-strand, lol. I love all the variations you made as well-delicious!
Haha, “ambitious”… at some points I was thinking I was more “crazy” than anything! There are tons of great braiding tutorial videos on YouTube that I found really helpful. Thanks for stopping by
Wow! I am so impressed! Like Frugal, I have always wanted to make challah but have been intimidated. I must try it now that you have written such an excellent post with so many good instructions. Thanks!!
Thanks! I hope you do try making it, homemade challah is awesome
Korena, your loaves are GORGEOUS! I’m so glad you included the recipe for the sourdough challah – I can’t wait to try it! (And I know exactly what you mean about “holla”!)
Thank you Dawn! Holla!
Wow, you ROCKED this challenge. I so wanted to make a sourdough challah, but the month went a little crazy and I didn’t have a chance. But after seeing yours, I know I am going to try it soon! All three of your challot look beautiful. Awesome, awesome job!!
Thanks Shelley
The sourdough challah is my favorite one, for sure – I hope you do try it!
Your loaves came out absolutely gorgeous – and I loved the braiding tutorials.
Thanks Cher!
Great post, I’m keeping the challah with apple in mind, sounds delicious
Thanks Marilyne. Apple is definitely a good addition to challah!
love LOVE the look of the 5 strand one… and your instructions are super clear, i’m pinning this for the next time i want to braid bread! plus kudos to you for making filled challah!
I thought the 5-strand braid was pretty cool looking too
Thanks for the kind words.
Not that I expected anything else, but these are perfect. Mine sometimes start to rise as I’m braiding!
Ha, that’s what you get for baking bread in the South – that never happens up here in the frigid North
They all look and sound incredible, Korena! Now I’m going to have to try all of them naturally. Though I am afraid that mine will also rise while I’m braiding. Blasted seasonably warm California springtime.
Thanks for the kind words! I would suggest chilling the dough before shaping it to combat the warm weather (lucky you!!).
Wow, seriously impressed!! so many versions and great instructions and photos too. Cinnamon AND apple…now that is amazing!!
You really rocked this challenge! Each one of these loaves looks just perfect. The maple and apple version sounds divine, I’m bookmarking it to make soon!
Thank you Jeanne!
wow, you did so many different types and styles, very impressive. They all look very good. Great step shots! I feel really lazy compared to your effort, I just made the basic recipe but added a little poppy seed to the mix and glazed the braid with apricot jam.
I was just checking out your post and your challah looks beautiful – simple but so elegant!
Hi there, your challahs look awesome! I was wondering why my challah looked strained in the middle so thanks for putting in your post that it’s because of underproofing. And for your photo assembly instructions. I’m definitely bookmarking the apple loaf recipe.
You are most welcome! I was glad to come across that bit of advice before the challenge was over
Wow, you REALLY embraced this challenge. What stunning loaves of challah! Your in-depth and well-illustrated explanations of what you’ve done belong in a cookbook. I love the way the 5-braid challah design turned out.
That is high praise – thank you Jason!
oh my goodness!! Look at all these wonderful challots (new word of the day)! They look all so wonderful! Which recipe was your favourite taste-wise? mmmm so delicious!
My favorite of the challots (heh) was the sourdough one – it had really great flavour and was a bit of a project, which I love!
a ‘challah-nge’ done like a pro, with all your variations and braiding styles. your braiding looks neat and clean and the finished loaves are all beautifully baked with the perfect golden hue. it’s a work of art!
Haha, thanks for the lovely comment
Love all the versions but the apple filling one’s my fav. Great post!
Gorgeous challah (is the plural challahs ?). This was a fun challenge – thanks for dropping by my blog
Cheers from Auckland, New zealand
The plural is “challot”, which is almost as much fun to say
As always you did an amazing job on this challenge Korena!
Thank you for the tip about the bread splitting and the misting, the very first loaf I made split and I didn’t even photograph that one.
I love the look of the 5 strand braid and the idea of an apple filling is mouth watering good
Thanks Sawsan
Thank you Korena for your kind words.
Your Challah loavesthemselves look simply gorgeous !!!
You have a lovely space here….
Keep in touch !!
Thanks Gauri!
maple, apples and cinnamon? yuuuuuuum! And yours turned so beautifully and perfect!
It was a tasty combination. Thanks for the lovely compliment
This is a beautiful post. Your braids are perfect!
Thank you Hannah
Nice shiny loaves! I need to try a filled one now.
The filled one was fun! I have to try a cinnamon-sugar filled one next, I saw so many this month that looked so amazing.
Hi Korena, thanks for visiting my blog! Your braids look perfect, love the apple idea!
I lovel the sound of the apple one – and they all look fantastic!
The apple one sounds delicious – and they all look beautiful!
What a great post! I love them all, but I know that I am going to try a 5-strand braid next time. Thanks for the helpful photos.
Thanks Mary, I just checked out your rhubarb challah – YUM!
Your challot are amazing! I still need to make a sourdough loaf. And that 5 strand braid…! I love how it looks. You did such a great job with this challenge. I am so glad that you were there baking along with me!
Thank you for this challenge Ruth! I really really enjoyed it
You totally need to make a sourdough challah, it was definitely my favorite one 
Spectacular job!!!, you are an expert in braiding, it was really difficult for me.
I love your 3 versions, I am going to try your apple version soon
Thank you Inma
Wow, I’m really impressed. For sure, you had a lot of fun with Ruth’s challenge. Your challots are beautiful and sound so delicious.:)
You did a fantastic and excellent job on this challenge! Bravo!:)
I think I love the 5 strand braid the best. The swoopy coil top is really very lovely- but ALL of your loaves turned out lovely. Beautiful color. I really wanted to make a sourdough version but just never found the time…..
Thanks Sandi. I managed to fit the sourdough one in just before the deadline! You should definitely try a sourdough version, it was my favorite of the bunch.
Korena, you do THE best photo instructions! Informative & great to look at. Beautiful, beautiful challot too. I love the idea of a sourdough version – I must try it out myself.
Thank you very much Suz! The sourdough one was great – I definitely recommend it!
beautiful job! thank you so much for all the step-by-step instructions!
WHOA thats beautiful! Mine would be recognisable by the dirt embedded in the crust after I had thrown it in a fit of pique onto the ground several times because the plait didn’t work right. (I am currently wearing a dirt encrusted plait as I speak…bad temper and intricate plaiting are NOT my forte).
Oh no! I definitely honed my braiding skills by french-braiding hair when I was younger, otherwise there probably would have been temper tantrums here too…
Korena..how could I miss this? Well..I’ve been quite scatterbrained lately, but it’s getting better. I have to tell you, I am blkown away by every one of your challahs! They are all gorgeous and perfect – especially the 5-strand braid, which I’m trying very soon. Love your apple, maple cinnamon filled chllah so much. Basically, you took this challenge and shot it to the moon! So talented!