What To Serve With Challah Bread?
Challah bread is a Jewish holiday bread traditionally served at the Passover Seder. It’s made with egg yolks instead of whole eggs, making it lighter and less dense than regular bread. However, it still tastes great.
To enjoy the rich Egg flavor of amazing challah bread without any guilt, try serving it as the base for a savory dessert. You can add honey, chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, dried fruit, or anything else you’d like. Just remember not to overdo it – limit yourself to two servings per week!
What Is Challah Bread?
Challah is a traditional Jewish Rich bread made from unleavened bread dough. It’s typically served at Sabbath meals and during holidays. It’s traditionally eaten without any butter or margarine. However, Slices Of challah bread can be used in recipes where butter is required.
For example, challah makes great French toast if you brush it with olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. You can also cut challah into slices and grill it. The Challah bread is soft enough that you can easily slice it thin.
Make challah bread at home by mixing ingredients according to package directions. Bake the bread in loaf pans, or shape it however you prefer. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.
How to Make Challah Bread At Home?
This bread is very easy and quick to make at home. All you need is one bowl and a few ingredients. The recipe includes detailed instructions and photos. You can use it for many different Meaty dishes. Examples include using it to make soups and salads. You can also cut the slices and sprinkle them with poppy seeds.
You can make this bread at home. Just place the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and leave it overnight to rise. After rising, you should divide the dough into two equal parts. Shape it into loaves and let them rise until doubled in size.
Ingredients Required
1 cup warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 cups bread flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
Step-By-Step
To get you a delicious piece of challah bread, below are the steps by steps guide to follow;
Proof The Yeast
First, you’ll want to proof the yeast. The process is simple. Simply add warm water to the bowl containing the yeast. Then stir the ingredients until the yeast starts bubbling. Once the yeast starts bubbling, you’re done!
You can use either dry yeast, which needs to be dissolved in hot water before use, or instant yeast, which doesn’t need to be pre-dissolved. Either kind should work fine for making bread.
Prepare The Dough
Once you have the dough prepared, you’re ready to move on to the next step. There are two main steps involved here. First, you’ll need to preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Then you’ll need to bake the dough for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. After that, you’ll need to cool the Golden crust completely before placing toppings on it.
To prep, your dough simply combines all of the ingredients in a stand mixer fitted into the paddle attachment. Beat the ingredients on medium speed until they form a uniform mass. At this point, the dough should look slightly wet and sticky.
Next, remove the dough from the mixer and fold it several times. Fold the dough into thirds, then rotate 90 degrees and fold it again. Repeat this procedure four times. This helps distribute any air bubbles throughout the dough.
Prepare The Raisins
To prepare the raisins, simply remove any stems and discard any bad spots. Next, soak the raisins in hot tap water until they become soft. Don’t overcook them though – you don’t want to make them mushy.
Once the raisins are soft, drain off most of the excess water. Then place the raisins in a bowl and cover them with plastic wrap. Let them sit overnight to plump up.
You might have noticed that there was still a lot of liquid left in the bowl after soaking the raisins. That’s ok – it means that your raisins were pretty juicy. Soaking the raisins in water makes them juicier, which helps them blend into your dish better.
To bake the raisin Toast bread, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the raisins in the center of a baking sheet and lightly press down using a spatula so that they form a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Knead
You’ve heard the old saying, “the secret to great bread is in the knead,” which means that if you want to make great toast bread, you must do it correctly. Kneading is the most important part of baking because it helps develop gluten, which makes the bread Box stretchy and chewy.
However, there are many mistakes that bakers make during the kneading stage. The main mistake is not working hard enough. There are no shortcuts when it comes to kneading. Instead, you must knead the dough for a minimum of five minutes.
Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and stir in the yeast and salt. Create a well in the center and pour in the water. Using a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients until the ball forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for at least five minutes. Don’t worry if the dough doesn’t look smooth right away; after five minutes, it will start to come together.
Once the dough begins to form, switch to using your hands instead of a wooden spoon. Work the dough by moving your fingers through the dough rather than pressing down. This will give the dough its characteristic stretchiness. Just keep kneading for five to seven minutes.
After five to seven minutes, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and let it rise for 10 to 15 minutes. This allows the dough to relax after being worked so hard. While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and dust generously with flour. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press it gently into the corners. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set it aside to rise again for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Make Some Ropes
First, we mix our ingredients. We add water to the flour and sprinkle on the salt and yeast. Next, we knead the dough to form a ball. Then we let the dough relax for a bit after which we divide it into 12 equal pieces and press them into ropes. Lastly, we lay out four ropes side by side on our baking sheet and bake them.
Here’s where you start making some ropes. First, cut the dough into even slices. Then, roll each slice into a cylinder. You may want to use a rolling pin or dowel rod to help flatten the cylinders. Once flattened, you’ll want to stretch the edges outward to create two layers of dough. Each layer needs to be about 2½ inches thick. Cut through the layers once more lengthwise to create four ropes.
Steps For Braiding Challah Bread
First, you need to learn a technique called “braiding,” which involves creating multiple strands at once. Each strand is formed using a simple technique known as ‘twisting.’ You simply twist the dough around itself until it forms a tight coil. Then, you cut off the ends of the coils and separate them into individual strands.
Once you’ve mastered this method, you can try making a round challah. Start by rolling out the dough very thin and fold it in half lengthwise. Now, roll the dough into a rope and pinch it tightly between your fingers. Cut the rope into rounds. After cutting, place the challahs onto parchment paper-lined cookie sheets. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
You can also make traditional challah bread. Roll out the dough into a circle and brush it with egg wash. Sprinkle it with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, cinnamon sugar, etc. Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.
Proof Once More And Bake
There are situations where proofing twice yields a superior result than proofing once. One example is pita bread, which is traditionally made with two rises and baked twice in ovens. Because pita dough expands significantly during the final rise and second baking, the bread becomes extremely thin and crispy on the outside, while remaining soft and chewy inside.
Another example is challah, which calls for a third stretch and baking. Although proofing once works perfectly fine, proofing twice gives the dough a more pronounced texture and makes it puffier. So instead of proofing once again and baking twice, consider proofing twice and baking once. That extra rise results in a lighter and fluffier loaf.
So feel free to skip the hassle of proofing twice and baking twice if you want. Just remember to let the dough rise once, then bake it immediately. Don’t forget to give yourself plenty of time to complete the recipe.
12 BEST Side Dishes
Challah bread is one of the most popular Jewish holiday foods, and there are a few best side dishes that you can try with it;
1. Roasted Peach and Dulce de Leche Bread Pudding
This recipe is perfect for Easter, Passover, Mother’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
Ingredients
1 loaf of French bread
4 large peaches
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut bread into cubes. Place bread cubes in a 9×13 baking dish. Peel and pit the peaches. Slice each peach into 8 wedges. Arrange the slices over the bread cubes. In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, milk, egg, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Pour the mixture over the fruit. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Refrigerate overnight. Serves 4 to 6 people.
2. Warm Coleslaw Salad
This warm coleslaw salad is a delicious side dish that goes well with many different meals. You can serve it alongside meat, poultry, seafood, pasta, rice, potatoes, or even pizza.
Ingredients
• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• ½ cup grated carrot
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4 teaspoons of sugar
3. Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apricot Bulgur Pilaf
This stuffed acorn squash recipe features a pilaf made with bulgur wheat and dried apricots. The stuffing is baked inside the squash before being served. You can use leftover roasted acorn squash in other recipes throughout the week.
Ingredients
1 large acorn squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup bulgur wheat
1 tablespoon butter
4. Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese
This buffalo chicken grilled cheese is easy to make and tastes great. It uses challah bread, which is a Jewish flatbread. Challah is usually used for Sabbath meals, but you can use it for sandwiches too. If you don’t want to buy the bread, you can just use regular white sandwich bread.
Ingredients
1 loaf challah bread
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 slices American cheese
6 tablespoons butter, melted
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
5. Creamy Kale Pesto Pasta Bake
This recipe uses a lot of different ingredients, but it’s well worth it. If you’re looking for a simple meal that takes less than 30 minutes to make, this one is for you. You’ll find yourself coming back for seconds and thirds because it tastes so good.
Ingredients
1 pound pasta
2 cups kale leaves
3 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
Black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside. In a blender combine kale, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper. Blend until smooth. Add cooked pasta to the mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm.
6. Roasted Cherry Tomato Tart
This tart is great for a holiday meal or special event. It’s easy to make ahead of time and keeps well in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
1 pound cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves
3 sheets puff pastry dough
7. Roasted Butternut Squash with Pecans and Cranberries
Roasting the butternut squashes brings out their sweetness and softens them up just enough to make them perfect for stuffing. I like to serve this Healthy dish with challah rolls for a special holiday meal.
Ingredients
1 large butternut squash
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
3/4 cup dried cranberries
8. Honey and Jam Crumb Cake
This recipe makes one 8-inch cake. You can double it for a larger cake.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
3 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup jam
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour an 8-inch springform pan. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Mix in dry ingredients. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Spread jam over cooled crumb cake. Slice and serve.
9. Strawberries and Oranges
The holiday season is upon us, and there are many ways to celebrate. One way is to make challah bread, a traditional Jewish bread. This recipe includes strawberries and oranges, both of which are popular during the holidays.
10. Crispy Egg in a Hole
If you want to bake an omelet, all you need to do is prepare an egg in a small hole in a piece of challah bread. And yet people still fail to understand the concept behind this recipe.
You can use any type of bread for this recipe. I recommend choosing soft white bread such as challah bread because it makes the best crispy egg in a hole ever.
The easiest way to do this is to cut a small hole in the middle of the bread. Then, take one egg and carefully place it inside the hole. Repeat this process for the rest of the eggs.
Then, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add butter and olive oil. When the butter starts bubbling, add the eggs. Cook the eggs for about 2 minutes per side. Remove the eggs from the pan and serve immediately.
11. Mushroom and Cheese Pudding
Mushroom and cheese puddings are one of my favorite desserts. They’re easy to make, and you can use whatever type of mushrooms you like. I used shiitake mushrooms because they’re very flavorful, but you could use cremini, portobello, button, chanterelle, oyster, enoki, etc. You’ll find many different types of cheeses in supermarkets, including cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, goat cheese, blue cheese, feta, Gouda, Gruyère, Parmesan, Romano, etc.
You can serve this dessert warm or cold. If you want it warm, just pop it into the oven for about 10 minutes while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
Ingredients
1 loaf challah bread
2 cups milk
3 eggs
½ cup sugar
12. Honey and Nutella
There’s no doubt about it; honey and Nutella are a match made in heaven. And if you want to enjoy them together, there’s nothing wrong with eating either of them separately, either. You’ll find that most people prefer to indulge in honey and Nutella in combination, though, simply because the two flavors complement each other so well.
You’ll find that most people enjoy indulging in honey and Nutella together—it’s a classic flavor combo that everyone loves. But if you’d rather try it on its own, feel free to grab yourself a jar of peanut butter and jelly. Or maybe you’d prefer chocolate hazelnut spread? Whatever you decide, make sure that you pair it with something else and not with a banana split!
