Ultimate Guide to the Best Challah Bread Recipe | Includes the BEST Recipe, Braiding, Baking Tips

Today i am so excited  because I'm sharing with you the ultimate guide  you will need to make one of the most iconic food   of the Jewish Cuisine found in the Torah and  that is the Challah bread recipe this Challah   bread recipe is full proof even for beginners  and can be done by everyone including us busy   buddies that are pressed for time this Challah  guide will include how to prepare the recipe   with all my tips and tricks how to shape and  braid the Challah with five strands and six   strands as well as how to make beautiful round  Challah and by the same token I'm letting you in   on this Jewish tradition called HAFRASHAT CHALLAH  (separation of the challah) that allowed thousands   of people to see Miracles dreams come true and  more through fulfilling this commandment and   following these steps to prepare bless shape  and bake the special Jewish traditional food   that doesn't only nourishes your body but also  nourishes your soul and if you're new here hi   my name is Sara Malka and on my channel I share  all facets of my Orthodox Sephardic Jewish Life   as a full-time working mom with small kiddos  so please don't forget to leave this video a   big Thumbs Up And subscribe to our Channel let  me put on a pretty Tichel and let's jump into it before I start any activity and that includes  cooking or baking I always ask G.od to give   success to the activity because I don't know  about you but many times even when I use the exact   recipe that I have made so many times the outcome  can be an absolute disaster even if usually it is   amazing so by praying to G.od for help giving  a bit of Charity or Tzedakah I feel I'm putting   all the chances on my side for the recipe to be a  success once I'm done my prayer I will start the   challah that is so special that making it can  be compared to the story of our life and the   ingredients is compared to what we need to have a  sense of fulfillment I start the recipe with the   yeast cake that could be compared to the heart or  the motor of the Challah without it our bread will   go nowhere the two cups of warm water acts as the  base that will allow the reactions to take place   between our love triangle the granulated yeast  that interestingly enough needs to sink down   before it can rise up like many times in our life  when we feel we hit rock bottom but when we think   about it we use this bottom as a springboard  to propel us to the highest Heights then the   Ascension of the yeast will be fueled by the  sugar that brings out the best in every situation I whisk everything together thoroughly for a  minute or so and at this point you might be   asking yourself why not just add the yeast  to the dry ingredients well it is because   sometimes the yeast is not active anymore so by  doing the yeast cake we make sure Hala will be   nice and Airy G.od willing I mix until I see  foam at the surface of the mixture like this   I will cover the bowl and set it aside  until we're ready to use it in a few minutes I take out my mixer and rest assured if you do  not have a mixer this recipe works perfectly   when you do it by hand I'm using my Bosch mixer  from the mum series and I will leave the link   in the description box below because we have  the ability to elevate anything mundane into   something more spiritual through the work  of our hands the perfect Challah is the   one that is made and baked with positive  intentions and with love and this is why   when I add my bread flour I pray to G.od that  God will sustain us physically and spiritually   when I add my sugar I pray for Sweetness in  our life for us as a family and for you too   my sweet friends finally I will add salt to the  dry ingredients praying that G.od would only send   us tears of joy [Music] after closing the mixer  to avoid any spillage I will mix everything for   about a minute to make sure that there are  no pockets of salt or sugar in our mixture while it is mixing I take out my eggs and of  course I made sure to verify them one by one   previously because before using any eggs I  make sure they have no blood spots as eating   raw blood would be not permitted I made a  complete video on how I check our food to   make sure it is kosher to remove as well any  insects and you will be surprised how many   insects I found even in commercial cake mix  I will add the link to the video above and in   the description box below for you to be able  to watch it after this video when I add the   eggs because the eggs represents the circle  of life I pray that all the people in my life   will have a fulfilling and meaningful life from  the beginning of their life to the end of their   life until 120 years old and more G.od willing  I add the eggs one by one making sure the egg is   completely Incorporated before adding the next  one which will result in the fluffiest Challah   while I'm adding the eggs let me tell you a bit  more about the power of Challah Challah comes from   the word chol means mundane ordinary and physical  matters and one of the physical items of this   world is eating when we eat Challah we show how we  can turn something as ordinary and materialistic   as eating into something kadosh or Holy women  have the power to bring out from the earth   below or Adama all its gifts and then Elevate them  towards heaven this is one of the power of Challah [Music] after adding the eggs one by one I will continue  mixing everything for two to three minutes to   incorporate all the eggs and the different  ingredients when I add my neutral oil here   I'm using sunflower oil I pray that our life  should go smoothly as a well-oiled machine I mix everything again for a minute or  two until everything is fully combined   finally it is time to add the cake yeast  and look at this height if your yeast does   not bubble like this it is most probably  not enough active anymore and it is time   to buy a new pack of yeast as you can see  it is very airy like a yeast whipped cream   when I add the yeast I pray to G.od he will  always Elevate us to fulfill our true potential   it is time to mix mix I will put it on  low speed and let it mix for about two   to three minutes until once again it is fully  combined when the dough looks like this and you   see on the side of the bowl almost nothing is  sticking anymore I add another one to two cups   of warm water because water represents  life I pray to G.od he should grant us   a good life filled with joy closeness to him  and good health on a side note if it is your   first time doing this recipe add the water in  four increments of half a cup each and let the   water be fully Incorporated in your dough  before adding the next half a cup of water   this way you can monitor how tacky the dough  gets and avoid for it to be too wet or too dry   once fully Incorporated and the dough reaches  this wet clay kind of consistency then I will   close the lid and mix it for another 10 to 12  minutes ongoingly this will help the gluten   be fully developed and will give the best  result with a fluffy and beautiful Challah   after this kneading time I will let the dough  rides in the bowl for an extra 15 minutes and   after the resting time is over when I remove the  lid you can see the dough has risen nicely in   the bowl and the gluten had time to activate and  develop a bit more making this dough already so   much more elastic which is a great sign thank G.od  that this dough is going to be fluffy and Airy   when I remove the dough from the bowl the dough  is still a bit tacky to touch and creates these   web-like strings when I pull the dough from  the mixer bowl and again this is a great sign   telling us we are on the right path to have  a very light and Airy Challah G.od willing [Music]With the Challah dough   I make a boule to increase the surface tension  of the dough and to have the best rise possible   at first I just pulled the dough together and  I create a ball with my dough then I pull the   dough towards me while tucking the outer  edges of the dough under the ball of dough   I turned the dough 90 degrees and continue  the process until I have a boule or ball   once I have a nice ball and the surface  is nice and tight I will put my dough   in my chemical free recycling bag that I  conveniently placed inside a very large bowl I add some oil on the top to keep the dough  hydrated while it is rising because these   will have more potency if there's no air in its  surroundings I will take out the air from the bag   completely then I will knot the bag and let the  dough rise or on the counter one to two hours at   room temperature if I do my challah right after  the rise or if I have no time to do the Challah   now I can leave it in the fridge overnight or  again like today I will leave the dough all day   in the fridge and I will finish my Challah when  I come back from work I change quickly into my   favorite modest outfit to go to work I made a  full video on how I dress modestly for work at   home and on special occasions and I will leave the  link to the video above and in the description box   below for you to be able to watch this video  after this one I will see you in a few hours   after letting the Challah reach room temperature  for about an hour once I'm home I can finally open   the bag as you can see the bag is full of gas  showing how the yeast had a good time reacting   with all the other ingredients finally I can degas  the dough and I think this is my favorite part   when I Degas my dough I pray to G.od he should  help me keep my ego in check and keep me humble as you can see the dough is much more elastic than  before and it has a good recoil showing that we   still have a strong yeast that will allow us to  roll and shape the dough with ease and now comes   the most crucial part of making Challah elevating  this physical Challah recipe to the status of soul   food through the Hafrashat Challah or taking of  the Challah that is a Commandment found in the   Torah (or Old Testament) I recite the blessing Baruch ata Ado.nay Elo.heynu melech   HaOlam asher Kideshanu Bemiztvotav  vetzivanu LeHafrish Challah Terumah I then remove a piece of the dough called Challah  and for our Ashkenazi Brothers this piece of Hala   has to weigh a certain amount of grams but as per  us sephardim we only take a small amount whatever   the weight once the Challah is removed I will  say Achei Zo Challah (Here is the challah) the   moment after taking the Challah is a time of  profound spiritual closeness to G.od it is   a conduit between this reality and a level  far beyond the walls of our kitchen I pray   for the well-being of my family my friends  and of course you my sweet extended family   I take my little bowl of dough and set it  aside it will be left in the freezer and burnt   on the EVE of Passover some will burn it right  away to render it inedible on the spot I put   on my favorite apron because otherwise I will put  dough all over my clothes and yes you saw it well   I do change when I come back from work and when I  know I'm gonna cook or bake to be more comfortable   but also to avoid staining my clothes do you also  do that as soon as you come home you change into   something more comfortable let me know in the  comments below the first step into preparing   this strands for our Challah is making equal balls  of dough to make the most delicious good looking   and evenly baked Challah / Halah I separate the  dough in balls of 120 grams and I will make a few   balls of 40 grams for a special design I have  created for Shabbat and more specifically for   rosh Hashanah when we have the custom as Orthodox  Jews to make round Challah once I have measured   the piece of dough I will roll it out in a ball  and put it in my plastic bag so the dough stay   pliable and moist and if you use a damp cloth  it will work but not as well as a plastic bag while I separate my balls of dough  let me share with you where the   Mitzvah ( commandment ) of Hafrashat Challah  comes from it comes from the Torah or some will   call it the Old Testament in Numbers chapter 15  verses 19 and 20 as it says and it shall be when   you eat from the bread of the land you shall set  aside a portion of dough for G.od you shall offer   it up as a gift for G.od the first of your dough  Challah you shall offer as a gift in the natural   world when you give something away there is less  of it but the Torah informs us that the more we   give away the more we will have and this is the  idea of tzedaka or charity we do not realize that   by giving tzedaka we will Merit the blessing of  more parnasa or sustenance Challah is the same way   somehow even after separating a piece of dough  we still have enough to make many many Challah   when we become used to giving it turns us into  unselfish people who learn what it means to be   givers and not takers we become people who do not  just put ourselves first we put someone else or   something else ahead of ourselves when we give of  ourselves we receive a lot more than we give just   like a Burning Flame that gives away its light  yet its own light Never Dies so too with Challah   today I will do my five six and  special round Challah just for you   once I took out all my balls I close the  bag to keep the dough nice and pliable   I will then start preparing my strands I  roll them out evenly with a rolling pin   the advantage of the Rolling Pin is that it takes  out all the air bubbles of the Strand and it will   make a smoother Challah if I don't have a rolling  pin no problem I will simply use my fingers to   flatten the dough against my working surface  making sure to remove all the small bubbles in   my dough and then I can continue to The Next Step  once my dough is rolled out I will simply roll it   onto itself for being a cigar and closing the seam  to have the most beautiful strands for my Challah   I roll out my strand one more time and I  repeat the process with the next ball of   dough while I prepare the other strands let  me explain to you why we braid our Challah   we took care to mix all the ingredients to make  a cohesive dough like how we work on ourselves   to become a better person we could say I did my  part I worked on myself but what happens when   I deal with the others and this is the same way  about Challah each strand also is beautiful but   when we braid the Challah we show we are not here  to try to be perfect on our own in our Corner we   intertwine our life with the people around us to  form a unit a community all working in the same   direction everyone has its place and together  we are stronger once my strands are all rolled   out I will start braiding you can use a bowl or  rolling pin to hold the top of your strand if   when you braid you feel everything is moving  and it makes the Challah braid uneven I take   the first strand to the right and I will bring  it to the right of the first strand on the left then I put the Strand on  the left side in the middle   I twist the braid two and three together and  I repeat the process until I reach the end When i   arrive to the end and I cannot braid  anymore I will simply gather all the   ends together smush them and then roll  them out to form a tail to my Challah on the other side I will do exactly the  same thing and I will roll out the extremity once it's done I will fluff out the Challah to  make sure that we see all the design of the braid I take three strands of 40 grams each  and I will braid them from The Middle when I reach the end I roll it out and then I will flip my braid to  continue braiding from the middle   again which usually gives a better looking braid once I'm done I roll it out I try to  make a braid as equal as possible in   width so I pinch it out a little bit and  then I will roll my braid onto itself once I'm done as you can see we  have a beautiful flower design I will place it in the middle of our 5  Braids twist and turn challah and I will   bring the extremities of the Challah and I  will tuck the extremities one under the other I place my Challah on a cooking sheet lined with  parchment paper then I let it rise 45 minutes   covered at room temperature I will start my six  strands Challah and even though it looks very   daunting it is very easy especially with the song  of my daughters the song goes second to the top   first in the middle then you switch on the other  side and you continue the song second to the top first in the middle and on the other side second  to the top first in the middle next side second to   the top first in the middle and you continue until  the end of the challah while I'm braiding let me   explain to you why we usually braid a Challah with  six strands in Judaism the number six represents   the six days of the week while the Challah itself  represents the seventh day that is Shabbat because   when we have two Challot (plural of challah)  each containing six strands on our Shabbat   table it equals 12. the number 12 represents the  number of tribes of Israel to include everyone   in this Mitzvah and this is why today I wanted  to show you how I braid six strands Challah to   make sure you feel included in my Challah making  once I'm done braiding my Challah I will tuck the   edges under the challah and if there's an extra  dough like on this side no problem you simply   remove it and you will add it to another ball  and I repeat the same thing on the other side   I will then cover them and let them rise  for 45 minutes at room temperature covered I will take this opportunity to preheat my oven at   350 degrees Fahrenheit on the convection  mode to have a beautiful and equal baking after 45 minutes the challot have doubled  in size and I will glaze them with a mixture   of egg salt and a bit of water to emulsify  the fat and give us the smoothest egg wash   you could also use maple syrup as a glaze or  agave syrup if you're vegan while I spread   the egg wash in every nook and cranny of the  Challah I asked G.od to spread his love over us   I add my toppings today I'm using sesame  seeds I will add pinches of sesame seeds   on top of the Challah if I want a light coat  of sesame seeds but if I want a denser coat of   sesame seed I will wet a paper towel roll my  strand of challah on the paper towel to make   the surface of the Challah more sticky then  I will place them on a baking sheet filled   with sesame seeds I make sure I roll them  completely in the seeds to be fully coated I would do the same process with poppy seeds or  any other topping when I add the sesame seeds   which represent in our community our merits I  ask to G.od that our merits be increased like the   number of grains of Sesame on our challah finally  it is time to put our Challah in the oven and I   pray that these Challah and your Challah are going  to be delicious after 30 minutes in the oven here   are the Challah we will enjoy them on Shabbat with  our three meals and of course during our holidays and if you're wondering how soft Airy and  delicious this Challah is here is a preview [Music]   I hope you enjoyed this Ultimate Guide to  making challah bread and it's super easy and   delicious Challah bread recipe and my prayer to  you is that you will be inspired to try to make   this amazing food that not only nourishes your  body but your soul alike and I would love to   know what part of the process of making Challah  really resonated with you thank you so much for   being here it means the world to me and know that  in my book you are my Challah my special treat   that transcends the physical world and if you're  here until the end please write in the comments   I love Challah so I know it's not alone and if  nobody told you today know that you are loved   and you are Enough Just the Way You Are until next  time stay blessed and don't forget to frum it up

Channel: frum it up

Views: 73,093

Keywords: Ultimate Guide to the Best Challah Bread Recipe, Challah bread recipe, Best challah bread recipe, Frum it up challah, challah bread, challah bread recipe braided, how to braid challah, challah recipe, how to make challah bread, easy challah recipe, how to make challah, braiding challah, 5 braid challah, round challah, round challah rosh hashanah, braided loaf, frum it up, homemade challah, challah recipe easy, jewish bread, braided bread, shabbat prep, jewish food recipes

Id: I-cCR3YS1QY

Length: 25min 50sec (1550 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 03 2023