Why is challah braided

[aaronatthedoublef]

Interesting article on challah from Chabad. Some of this I knew and some I did not.

It does talk about making challah without dairy or meat ingredients which is good. There was a trend for a while to use butter as the fat instead of oil and that bugged me.

I like most of it but I am annoyed whenever someone says or writes "Jews feel..." or "Jews believe..."

We cannot even come to a consensus about whether or not legumes are kosher for Passover! But that is part of the fun.

Spread the word

      

  

  

[Mike Nolan]

The braiding also seems to impact the flavor/texture of the Challah, though it is subtle. I've put Challah dough in a loaf pan, that changes it a lot. I've never tried it in muffin or mini-loaf pans, I wonder how that would work?

I'm not sure if different types of braids produce noticeably different textures, though a two-layer Challah would almost certainly be different than a one level Challah.

Some braids produce loaves with more height than others, several six-strand ones do that. I've made an 11 strand one a few times, it is very pretty when done carefully.

[Mike Nolan]

Historically, olive oil may have been the primary non-animal fat available, though these days we have quite a few alternatives.

It is possible to extract oils from seeds and nuts, but it takes a lot of them to get much oil.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks for the interesting article, with accompanying video, Aaron. When I bake the King Arthur pumpkin ginger braid (not challah but uses six braids), I do the six-strand braid that is specified. I have crib notes in that I bought the KABC mat that has the directions on it. While it helps to know which braid goes where, I think that there is more to it, in the positioning of the braids while working. This video gave me some ideas on how to place a strand before moving on to the next one.

A good friend, of more than 30 years once told me that it took a while for her to realize that Protestant was actually an umbrella term for a lot of different groups, with even the long-established denominations having splits within them. My friend passed away in December, four and a half years after a major stroke robbed her of so much of her life. I missed her then and miss her now.

[Joan Simpson]

Aaaron I enjoyed the video too.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Challah is supposed to be a pull-apart bread. My mom always wanted to slice the challah but my dad's preference (and the pre-COVID tradition I know) was to pull off a piece, take some, and then pass it around the table. and we followed suit. I've done that at much larger tables with more people. After Sabbath services the kids (mostly the boys :-)) will do that to the challahs our temple puts out. The texture is supposed to be long and feather when it pulls apart.

BA - six strands is REALLY hard. I have gone to my challah book to re-learn four strand. I have not seen many people except some professionals make six strands except for crazy people like us.

Once I get my four strand I will start back on six.

My goal is to make 12 challahs a week to give away. Not there yet...

[BakerAunt]

Aaron--that explains why in Secrets of a Jewish Baker, the author says to make sure that the egg wash does not get into the space between the braids. Next time I try baking challah, I will see about getting the pull-apart texture. I wonder if part of it is using all egg yolks. I'm usually short of the five my recipe specifies, so I substitute in a whole egg. Of course, I am now substituting in some white whole wheat flour to get more wholegrain.

I may have more yolks with which to experiment. We really liked the Zimtsterne (cinnamon star) cookies that I baked this past holiday season, and each recipe calls for two egg whites. I used the star cookie cutter, but I think that I could use a snowflake or a heart cookie cutter just as easily.

I prefer the Bob's Red Mill bread flour to the King Arthur bread flour; for me it gives a better rise. I find that I can use more whole grain flour when I use the BRM.

[aaronatthedoublef]

Thanks for the tip on Bob's. I usually just use what is least expensive.

For egg washing, I don't think you have to be that careful to not get it in between the strands. I've watched large bakeries do this with a paint sprayer and I know I care more about complete coverage than keeping it out of the cracks.

The one thing I am careful about is making sure it doesn't pool between the strands.

[Mike Nolan]

I like the 11 strand braid that the Challah Prince taught, but it takes forever to roll out 11 strands and by then I'm ready for a rest, which of course you can't do right then.

I've seen a 13 strand braid, but haven't tried it, I think I've also seen references to a 15 strand braid.

[Author]

Posts