Recipe Review: Vegan Challah

Prior to this post, I had eaten but never made challah. Consequently, when I craved a go-to recipe to enhance my Friday nights, I knew I had to conduct a culinary experiment –

or four.

Controls and Variables

Multiple controls and a single variable produce the most accurate results. The Cake Test within my Product Review: Vegan Mayonnaise is a keen example of this setup; the only wild card is the “mayonnaise”!

Indeed, I structure all bake tests within my reviews accordingly. Testing in this way strengthens the assumption that products are different because of my variable. If I’ve been baking on the same day with the same mixing methods and oven, then I likely can’t blame discrepancies between batches on climate, technique, and/or heating appliance.

Losing Control?

Four hours-long challah recipes presented a unique challenge to ideal experiment conditions: being a company of one, I logistically couldn’t bake all four in a day! Yet there was still much I could – and did – control:

• Humidity – I selected 2 days with comparable humidity levels (42 and 46%), and made 2 loaves per day.
• Yeast – I purchased new jars of Red Star active and instant yeasts so both were equally fresh.
• Other Overlapping Ingredients – Nearly all listed flour, sugar, salt, oil, maple syrup, and non-dairy milk. I used:
  • Gold Medal Bread Flour
  • Zulka Morena Pure Cane Sugar
  • Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
  • Botticelli Olive Oil
  • a regional brand of pure maple syrup
  • West Life Soy Milk
• Water Temperature – Though a range of 100-110°F (37.8-43.3°C) is recommended, I defined “(luke)warm water” as 105°F (40.6°C).
• First Rise – After kneading, I set my dough inside my oven with the heating elements off; light, on. Doing so created a consistent “warm, draft-free” environment that many bread masters suggest for this stage.

The recipes themselves presented enough variables (unique ingredients and ratios, kneading instructions, rise and proof times, baking temperatures, etc.). But given these constants, I felt confident that any success or failure was a result of the formula I was following.

The Recipes

Though I will share details of my entire 4-recipe journey, one recipe will go unnamed and unlinked. This formula was excessively frustrating and yielded the worst bread by far.

My deep respect for fellow recipe writers makes me uneasy about reviewing them harshly. I want to be honest about what I learned without publicly condemning them! Thus, you’ll see a button for “the unnamed dud”.

Click to see which blogger offered the best workability, texture, or flavor in their vegan challah recipe (or, of course, how the dud performed):

the unnamed dud

Visually, this challah is quite appealing! Thanks to the addition of mashed sweet potato, it boasts a lovely color similar to egg-containing challot (the plural of “challah”). It also browned nicely and cooked evenly.

Yet my volunteer tasters, Bekah and Dana, agreed the crust was unusually tough for challah. Moreover, it was very sticky from brushing after baking (a complaint not unique to this recipe, but a complaint nevertheless).

and what an unpleasant experience it was to make! I went into this recipe preemptively annoyed at having to roast a whole sweet potato for “1/2 cup mashed”. I was also suspicious about an enriched vegan bread formula with no gram measurements.

My annoyance grew and suspicions were confirmed as I executed each instruction. “I have to dirty all 3 stand mixer attachments!?” was the least of my ordeal; it took over 4 hours for this dough to come together! I repeatedly added 1 Tbsp (15 mL/7.5 g) bread flour, resumed kneading for 5 minutes in my stand mixer, then allowed my dough to rest for another 20 before adding more flour.

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp (270 mL/135 g) and an entire other challah later, this monster could be lifted from my stand mixer bowl without suctioning itself to my hands –

but by that time, it was sourdough.

Best Workability

As I kneaded and braided “Vegan Challah Bread” by Hannah of Domestic Gothess, I was convinced I’d found my go-to recipe. This dough was a dream to handle!

And I had to handle it quite a bit. After dividing my dough into 6 equal portions, these instructions asked me to flatten each one into a square and roll each square into a sausage.

‘How clever,’ I thought, ‘to create brioche-like striations this way!’

What I actually created, unfortunately, was an overworked loaf. The bottom of this challah was dense presumably from all that flattening and rolling. Indeed, from the unnamed dud to the one under “Best Texture”, striations seem to happen from braiding alone.

That said, Bekah especially loved the sweet taste of this bread. I also adored the clear braiding instructions so much that I referenced them whenever another recipe told me to, “Braid as desired.” And because I brushed on the eggless glaze prior to and in the middle of baking, tearing pieces of this challah didn’t result in sticky fingers. (The maple syrup-soy milk mixture had a chance to dry and adhere sufficiently.)

Best Texture

“The Best Vegan Challah Bread” by Megan of Short Girl Tall Order is another deliciously golden loaf. In this bake, puréed pumpkin lends color and moisture typically achieved by eggs.

When I think of challah, I think of this!

my taster Dana commented. The crust, crumb, stretch, and chew were all what he, Bekah, and I expected to feel.

But for us, it lacked sweetness. It was also another formula that instructed me to apply vegan egg wash after baking which, I discovered, leaves a sticky film. Furthermore, I had to plan what to do with one can minus 2 Tbsp (30 mL/28 g) of pumpkin!

That said, Megan created an excellent bread. While I longed for gram measurements (and imparted my own), I can accept with this fantastic recipe that an art such as challah making may be dictated by heart.

Best Flavor

I can’t stop eating this one!

Bekah said of “Vegan Challah (Water Challah)” by Keisha of Floured Frame. Another highly workable dough, this bread contained an ideal amount of sugar. Plus, the recipe includes gram measurements making exact replication of this experience easier to achieve.

My concerns are in the notes and size of this formula. “If the dough seems overly sticky and wet,” Keisha says, “you can add 1/4 cup (32g) more flour at a time.” I did as I was told even though “1/4 cup (32g)” struck me as too much.

And it was; this loaf was tight with a dense bottom. Yet even with the extra flour, I didn’t have enough dough to make 2 loaves if I wanted to honor the custom of sharing one. (Inversely, even without that flour, I had too much to fit a double batch on one tray.)

But it wasn’t sticky! Like Domestic Gothess, Floured Frame guides you to brush a second time partway through baking. I’m definitely adopting that eggless wash technique no matter which recipe I’m following.

So…which is the go-to recipe?

all and none of the named recipes!

My next step is to combine the best of each formula into an easy-to-braid, fluffy and sweet challah (or challot).

Considerations for My Own Recipe

Active Yeast

Only Short Girl Tall Order used active instead of instant yeast. While I’m sure other aspects of her recipe contributed to its supreme texture, her choice to use active yeast has to be one of them.

Domestic Gothess’s Wet:Dry Ratio

Since I used the same flour – Read: protein/gluten content. – for each loaf, I reasonably believe Domestic Gothess’s water:flour ratio made her dough perfectly manageable. It was appropriately sticky for challah, but didn’t stick to my fingers or counter at all.

Floured Frame’s Sugar:Other Ingredients Ratio

The sweetness of Floured Frame’s bread demands to be maintained!

Turmeric and Potato Flour

I don’t want to roast a whole sweet potato (like the unnamed dud) or open an entire can of pumpkin (like Short Girl Tall Order) only to use a little. Yet I do want the tint and loft of traditional challah! Perhaps these can be replicated with a couple intentionally selected dry ingredients?

First Rise Environment

I no longer remember where I learned to put dough in an off oven to rise, but it’s a tip I’m compelled to share.

Clear and Simple Braiding Instructions

I plan to adopt Domestic Gothess’s braiding instructions. However, I will eliminate her excessive log-shaping directions.

Spoiler Alert

I published this post seconds before I published my finished recipe.

Please navigate to Vegan Challah for the true sum of everything I learned herein.