Mom’s Light and Fluffy Homemade Challah

Looking to up your challah game? Here is a great homemade challah recipe and some hacks to really take your challah to the next level!

Everyone and their mother (literally!) has a challah recipe that they say is THE best one out there. In truth, I believe this to be correct. Just like I said about my honey cake, a traditional recipe is always the best because it comes along with so much love, emotion and history — and you can’t beat that! 

When I first got married, I asked my husband about the different bakeries in town and which one he thought we should go to for challah for Shabbos. He looked at me like I’d fallen off the moon. “Ummm… Aren’t you going to bake challah?” he asked.

“Me? Nope. I don’t do yeast.” 

As far as I was concerned, that was the end of the story. In my mind, it wasn’t even an option. 

Next thing I knew, I was on the phone with my mother-in-law for hours as she oh-so-patiently walked me through the process of baking homemade challah. (This was before the days of smartphones, Facetime etc. — think of me attempting to make homemade challah for the first time with a phone attached to my ear while a long, curly cord followed me around the kitchen!) I’ve been using my mother-in-law’s recipe ever since. Over the years I have tried different ones, whether I was in the mood for a change or liked a recipe I tasted at a friend’s house. But I’ve always come back to this one. It’s so easy to make and the challahs come out so light and fluffy. And most importantly, my family loves it. 

It’s also a very versatile dough. I have come across many doughs that require an electric mixer or require hand kneading. For this dough, you can do whatever works for you! 

While you can make this dough by hand, I never do. I used to use my Magic Mill, which went through a few name changes over the years and is now called the Ankarsrum (though everyone I know still calls it a Magic Mill!). Now I have a Bosch, which I love and use for challah dough every week. 

There are big debates over the Magic Mill vs. the Bosch for challah dough. There’s also the KitchenAid, but I don’t know much about it. I’ve never had one and I don’t know many people who use theirs for challah dough, since they’re not really big and strong enough for the job. You either have to be making a super-small batch or have a very large KitchenAid, which is not very common, and even then the motor may not be strong enough to handle a challah dough.

I used to call my Magic Mill  “my truck”! It’s extremely heavy and bulky; I never felt like any dough strained the motor. However, I did not like the way it kneaded the dough, even with the special spatula attachment it came with. I found the dough would get bunched up in one corner of the bowl while the machine would spin. I was constantly pushing the dough around with my hand to get the mixer to do its thing. I was never able to make cake with the Magic Mill; I found it to be too powerful and it overmixed the batter. Also, it was so bulky, I didn’t feel it was worth taking out for a little cake when I could just use a small electric hand mixer or a whisk, which is actually how I make most of my cakes. 

Now that I have a Bosch, I really love it! The ease with which the Bosch makes dough is amazing. I add my ingredients to the bowl, turn it on and, 10 minutes later, I have the most beautiful dough! I never have to worry about the dough not coming out good or not being well mixed. I don’t use the Bosch for much else other than making challah, but since I make challah every Friday, it comes out often. 

Once baked, these challahs freeze beautifully. I often get asked if they can be frozen raw and then defrosted and baked. I don’t know, as I’ve never tried to do that. When I bake or cook, either I make the food fully before freezing so I don’t have to think about it again or I make it fresh. I don’t like to do things halfway because then I can’t cross them off my list. You are certainly welcome to try freezing them raw — if you do, let me know how they come out! 

A few points to note: 

• Using high-gluten flour for breads and challah is imperative. I used to think all high-gluten flours were the same, until I tried a company that was significantly more expensive than the standard brands. My friend insisted it made a difference. I bought it just so I could prove her wrong, and guess what? It did make a huge difference! Since then I’ve been using DEPENDABLE HIGH-GLUTEN FLOUR. It comes in a brown paper bag — most Jewish grocery stores sell it. If you don’t have access to it, another great option is KING ARTHUR BREAD FLOUR (the blue bag). Most large chain stores have it; I usually get it at Target. 
• For years, I struggled with knowing the proper water temp for proofing yeast. Then someone once told me to use water at the temperature you’d use to give a little kid a bath. Since then, it’s been much easier for me to gauge. I do find that if you’re using good yeast that’s relatively fresh, it’s pretty forgiving when it comes to the water temp. I use dry instant yeast that I buy in a big bag and store in my freezer. A package can last me months without going bad or rancid. 
• I don’t usually bother with a second rise. I don’t find it makes much of a difference. At most, I will let the challahs sit for a few minutes while the oven preheats.
• My challahs come out light and fluffy. I’ve had people comment over the years when seeing pictures that they look underdone, but this recipe isn’t supposed to make a heavy, dark-crusted challah. 
• I have occasionally made dough Thursday night, let it rise in the fridge overnight, and shaped it Friday morning, but I don’t love this method. Even though you are slow-rising the challah in a cold environment, I still find it gets very yeasty. I know many people who do this and are happy with the results, so if this works with your schedule, go for it!
• After my dough is kneaded and ready to rise, I transfer it to a big metal bowl that is sprayed well with cooking spray. Then I spray the top of the dough, cover it with a towel and let it rise for about two hours, depending on the weather and time of year. Yes, the weather does make a difference! This article from the King Arthur Baking website, goes into detail explaining the science behind how the outdoor temperature and weather affects yeast and how to adjust so your yeast dough comes out great every time. 
• I like to bake my challahs in oval pans. I divide the dough into six even parts and make six medium/large challahs. Sometimes I make fewer challahs and save some dough to make cinnamon buns using the filling from my easy no-mixer cinnamon buns.

Challah baking is a beautiful and special process that I feel privileged to do. Hopefully, these tips will enhance your challah-making so you can make the most out of these moments as well.

Challah-Shaping Hack

Back when I first started making homemade challah, one of the reasons I dreaded it was having to roll out all those strands. It just took so long and I had no patience. One Thursday night (or, by that time, it was probably already Friday morning), I was at a point where I just didn’t care anymore. I quickly shaped the challah using this method and prayed they would come out okay. I told myself that, worst-case scenario, they would just be lumps of dough. Well, whaddya know? They came out amazing! I’ve been making challah like this ever since!  

Shape your dough into a sort of football shape. Using a sharp knife, make two long cuts in the dough, starting about 1.5 inches from the end, so you get three “strands.” Braid the strands as usual. Pinch the ends together and place in a pan. Bake as directed.

5 from 1 vote

Mom’s Light and Fluffy Homemade Challah

Looking to up your challah game? Here is a great recipe that'll really take your challah to the next level!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp dry yeast
• 4 cups warm water, divided
• 1 cup + 2 tsp sugar
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup oil
• 3 Tbsp kosher salt
• 5 lbs. high-gluten flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• Seeds for topping (optional)

Instructions

• In a bowl, combine yeast, 1 cup water, and 2 tsp sugar. Wait a few minutes until yeast is proofed (it will get foamy and bubbly on top).
• Add remaining water, sugar, eggs, oil and salt to the bowl and start mixing. This can be done by hand or with a mixer; I use a Bosch.
• Very slowly start adding the flour, pouring it in bit by bit while watching carefully. Once the dough comes together (the sides of the bowl are clean), stop adding flour (sometimes I don’t use the whole bag, depending on the weather).
• Cover and let rise until triple in size, about 2 hours.
• Shape and place in greased pans. Brush with egg wash and put seeds on top, if desired.
• Preheat oven to 350℉.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Notes

Freezes well.

Recipe by Faigy Murray | https://mykitchenmystudio.com/homemade-challah/

Servings: 6 medium-large challahs