Susan’s Sweet Challah for Rosh Hashanah

If there is one recipe that helps define the Jewish Sabbath and holidays, it is challah. The challah is made around the world in Jewish homes. The aroma of baking challah fills a home with the smells of holidays, traditions and memories. Baking challah is both a physical and a spiritual activity. It connects the baker to customs and culture and is considered a blessing in the home. I have been making challah for 45 years and have developed my own sweet and savory recipes. I bake this sweet challah for the fall holiday season, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. It was a favorite of my mother’s. Rather than the traditional braided challah loaf used for most of the year is the round challah made for this time of year, symbolic of the end of the old and beginning of the new year- the circle of life. We make it sweet in hope that the new year will be sweet; we bake it with our own hands to bring love into our home. Happy New Year.

These are the candlesticks I use lighting for Shabbat and holidays, with the yellow ribbon symbol for bringing the hostages home.

Susan Weintrob

Susan’s Sweet Challah

If there is one recipe that helps define the Jewish Sabbath and holidays, it is challah. The challah is made around the world in Jewish homes. The aroma of baking challah fills a home with the smells of holidays, traditions and memories. Baking challah is both a physical and a spiritual activity. It connects the baker to customs and culture and is considered a blessing in the home. I have been making challah for 45 years and have developed my own sweet and savory recipes. I bake this sweet challah for the fall holiday season, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Sukkot. It was a favorite of my mother’s. Rather than the traditional braided challah loaf used for most of the year is the round challah made for this time of year, symbolic of the end of the old and beginning of the new year- the circle of life. We make it sweet in hope that the new year will be sweet; we bake it with our own hands to bring love into our home. Happy New Year.

Yield 2 loaves

2 packages or 4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

7 tablespoons vegetable oil

2/3 cup warm water

1/4 cup honey

3 egg yolks

3 whole eggs

2 teaspoon salt

3-4 cups unbleached white flour

1-2 cups gluten/bread flour

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 egg, beaten for wash

1. In large bowl, soften yeast in warm water. Allow time to proof. (It should bubble if yeast is good.) Stir in eggs yolks, whole eggs (you may use less eggs if necessary-sometimes I use what’s on hand.)
2. Add oil, honey and salt. (You may know this already, but if you use the same measuring cup that had the oil in it, the honey slides out nicely, with no waste.)
3. Add enough flour to form a stiff, sticky dough. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes depending on how many loaves you are making and how humid the day is. If you wish to add raisins, you should do so after kneading has been in process for a few minutes.
4. Place in greased bowl. Turn dough to grease top. Cover and let rise in draft free spot. Rising usually takes 2 hours. If you wish to speed up the process, place a pan of steaming water underneath the rising dough. Don’t heat the oven–this does not work, as I can tell you from personal experience.
5. Punch down the dough, knead again and prepare loaves. If you can’t do this now, you can always let the dough rise again. It will take less time the 2nd time around.
6. Divide dough into 2 portions.
7. Braid: Divide each portion into 3 segments, rolling each segment into rope like pieces of equal length. Braid. You can be fancy and do a 4, 5 or 6 braid if you like (I’ve seen some people do different kinds of braids— be creative).
8. Spiral: Divide dough into 3 pieces. With your hands, roll each portion into one long rope and make a spiral, pinching the end with a bit of water on your fingers to seal.
9. Place loaves on baking sheet. Brush with egg wash and let rise in draft free spot until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in a 350F oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Cool before eating. The recipe easily doubles or triples. If you are freezing, bring the challah to room temperature before wrapping. I wrap each challah in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. I then put the loaves a freezer bag. This ensures that there will not be freezer burn on the bread.

Expandthetable suggestions

Lessen the sugar: Use a sugar substitute in place of honey.

Dried fruits: in place or in addition to the raisins, use chopped apricots, dates, figs.