The Perfect Challah
Prep. Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Servings
2 loafs
Difficulty
Expert
Soy-Free
This vegan challah is soft, slightly sweet, and topped with a golden crust from a simple plant-based milk wash. The inside is fluffy and tender, and it’s a bread my kids look forward to every week—it usually disappears before dinner is over. Once you get the hang of it, the dough is easy to work with and can be shaped into braids, rolls, or a round loaf, and you can keep it simple with sesame seeds or dress it up with nuts. It freezes well too, so you can make it ahead for holidays, travel days, or to have ready bread during a busy week.
Ingredients
26oz (750g) all-purpose flour
4oz (120mL) sunflower oil
13.5 fl.oz (400ml) warm water
2 tbsps dry yeast
1 tsp salt
6 tbsps granulated sugar
For the Top Crust
Protein-rich plant-based milk
Sesame seeds -or- various nuts/seeds: silvered almond slices, poppy seeds, white/black sesame seeds, crushed raw pistachios, pecan pieces and others.
Instructions
To a stand mixer bowl, add the flour, yeast and sugar, and manually whisk a little, until all ingredients are consistently blended. Turn on the mixer on the lowest speed.
Gradually add the oil & water to the bowl (over a course of 30 seconds or so).
Add the salt, and let the mixer knead the dough for 10 minutes.
Pick up the dough and shape it as much as possible as a smooth pillow, and place it back in the bowl, covered with a clean table cloth, for 1 hour (if you must stop at this point, place the bowl in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours).
Remove the dough from the bowl, and place it on a clean surface. Cut the dough to 6 even pieces.
By rubbing each piece between the palms of your hands, make cylindric strands that are about 15-18 inches long.
If you know how to braid, this is exactly what you are supposed to do at this point - place each 3 strands adjacent to one another, and hold the ends of all 3 tight together so that they stick. Then, begin braiding. If you never braided before, use the illustrated steps below.
When the braided Challah is ready, let it rise again, this time for 30 minutes under a clean table cloth.
Preheat the oven to 360F/180C.
Pour protein-rich milk to a cup, and using a pastry brush, brush the challah with milk so that it is consistently moist. No need to brush the bottom.
You can 'decorate' the challah as you please (see 'Notes').
Place the challah in the pre-heated oven, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until completely golden on top.
Remove from the oven and let it cool in the open air for 30 minutes. Serve warm, or freeze it in a Ziploc gallon bag (or if it doesn't fit, wrap it with aluminum foil) to retain maximum freshness. Simply warm it back up in the oven when you want to serve it!
Notes
A popular decoration option would be to spread sesame seeds (raw) that will stick to the challah thanks to the moist you applied earlier. When I am hosting a fancy dinner, I will pull a couple of fancier toppings (see ingredients). Then, I apply a little of everything and spread it over the challah. Another decorative variation would be to shape the challah to a circle, once its braided.
Did you know? Gluten is the protein in wheat flour, and when flour is mixed with water, this protein forms long, elastic strands. During kneading, the physical motion stretches and aligns these gluten strands, allowing them to trap air bubbles and create a structure that gives the dough its elasticity and chewy texture. The more you knead, the stronger and more interconnected these gluten strands become, which results in a dough that is easier to shape and holds its structure better while rising and baking. In addition, prolonged kneading helps evenly distribute the moisture throughout the dough, ensuring that all the ingredients are well incorporated. This process also helps the dough retain gas from the active yeast, allowing it to rise properly and create a soft, light texture in the final bread.
The Latest Bite
Wonderful Parsley Salad
I usually buy parsley with the idea that I’ll use “just a little” in a recipe, and then I’m left with a big bunch staring at me from the fridge. This salad is my solution. Instead of letting those greens wilt away, I chop the whole thing and make it the main event. It’s fresh, full of flavor, and takes almost no effort.
The best part is how forgiving it is. Walnuts give it crunch, but almonds or pecans work if that’s what’s in the pantry. Cheese adds creaminess and the dressing is quick to whip together with what we usually have on hand, and it makes the parsley feel less like “just herbs” and more like a real salad.
This isn’t a kid-friendly dish in our house (the parsley is just too “green” for them), but it works great for the adults. I’ll make it at home when dinner needs something light on the side, or pack it into a container when we’re traveling in an RV and want an easy salad to balance out heartier meals. Since it’s dairy-free and plant-based, it holds up well for hours on the road without the stress of refrigeration worries you get with mayo-based dressings.
It’s fast, flexible, and keeps parsley from going to waste—a little grown-up salad that travels well.