Toward the end of Loving Our Own Bones: Disability Wisdom and the Spiritual Subversiveness of Loving Ourselves Whole, Rabbi Julia Watts Belser mentions reveling in her abilities including – but by no means limited to – kneading bread. She suggests challah is the perfect culinary representation of Shabbat because,
It takes the time that it takes.
Indeed on Shabbat, Jews suspend measured time in order to focus on connecting with others. And bread embodies this principle quite well! I offer times for kneading, rising, proofing, and baking, but the end of each stage truly piques a particular sense for me: it sounds drier, looks twice as large, feels slightly springy, smells comfortingly sweet –
and, of course, tastes divine.
Use the cues that work for you.
I stress “for me” because these signals may not work for you. Moreover, since yeasted goods can be terribly sensitive to their environment, you’ll see efforts to control things like drafts and humidity (such as rising in an off oven). Bread may take the time that it takes, but for a range of reasons, my instructions equip you to take the times that I state!
Peruse my Recipe Review: Vegan Challah to learn more about this and other decisions within the formula below.
בתאבון
B’tayavon!
My Ultimate Vegan Challah
Description
Considering eggs perform multiple functions in challah, I could not replace them with a single substitute. The following ingredients work together to replace the protein, shine, moisture, tenderness, and color typically imparted through eggs alone:
- soy milk
- maple syrup
- neutral-flavored oil
- potato flour/starch
- dried ground turmeric
Peruse my Recipe Review: Vegan Challah to learn more about this and other decisions within the formula below.
makes 1 large or 2 small loaves
Ingredients
Instructions
Preparing
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If necessary, bring soy milk and maple syrup to room temperature.
-
Gather 5 vessels...
- 2 large (≈5-qt/L) bowls
- 1 medium (≈3-qt/L) bowl
- 1 small (≈1.5-qt/L) bowl
- 1 prep. (≈1 cup/250 mL) bowl or mug
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...4 mixing utensils...
- 2 whisks or forks (one for wet, one for dry ingredients)
- 1 sifter or sieve
- 1 wooden or other large spoon
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...and a half sheet pan/baking tray lined with a silicone mat or parchment.
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Rub a thin coat of oil inside one of the large bowls, then set everything aside.
Mixing
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In the unoiled large bowl, whisk sugar and water. Evenly sprinkle-on yeast, then leave undisturbed 5 min. Gently whisk and leave undisturbed 5 min more.
The sugar does not need to dissolve fully before adding the yeast. -
Meanwhile, in the medium bowl, sift and whisk together bread flour, potato flour/starch, salt, and turmeric. Set aside.
-
In the small bowl, whisk together soy milk and oil. Pour into dry ingredients, then switch to a spoon and stir to create a uniformly crumbly appearance/texture.
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Stir-in about 1/3 partially hydrated dry ingredients (PHDI, from previous step) into yeast mixture. Add remaining PHDI, then perform about 15-20 full stirs.
Essentially, mix until your spoon is ineffective.
Kneading and Rising
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Scrape dough onto counter. Vigorously push and pull, left and right, 8-10 min until smooth.
During the first 2-3 min of kneading, you should be leaning toward adding more bread flour. If you're still leaning that way by min 3-4, add 1 Tbsp (15 mL/14 g). Repeat every min until your dough just about stops sticking to your hands. -
Transfer to oiled bowl and loosely cover. Place in an off oven with door closed and light on (if possible) 1 to 1 1/2 hrs, until doubled in size.
With a light, rising will take around 1 to 1 1/4 hrs; without, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2.
Shaping
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Punch down and divide dough into 6 equal portions for a large loaf, or 12 for 2 small loaves.
You should have roughly 900 g of dough. Thus, if you have a kitchen scale, weigh-out about 150 g x 6, or 75 g x 12. -
Roll each portion into an approximately 1-in (2.5-cm) wide log with tapered ends. Lay all in a vertically parallel row, then pinch and tuck (all) 6 far ends together.
-
Take the second from the right log and move it far left. Then, take the far right log and move it to the middle.
Shuffle logs as needed so they're arranged in a way that makes sense to you. -
Take the second from the left log and move it far right. Then, take the far left log and move it to the middle.
-
Repeat steps 14-15 until there's no choice but to pinch and tuck remaining ends together.
Proofing
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Transfer loaf/loaves to prepared pan (from step 4). Loosely cover with plastic wrap, then allow to rest and rise 30-45 min.
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Immediately set oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
Home ovens take around 30 min to preheat regardless of when they tell you (via a light, ding, or other notification) they're ready. -
Test proofing doneness by gently poking an inconspicuous area. Dough is ready to bake when indent mostly but then lazily springs back.
Baking
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In the prep. bowl (from step 1), whisk together remaining soy milk and maple syrup (1 Tbsp - 15 mL/14g - each). Thoroughly brush braid(s) with half.
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Bake large loaf for 20 min; small loaves, 15. Remove and brush-on remaining syrup mixture, then bake 15-20 min more.
Cooling and Storing
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Cool 10 min on pan before moving to a wire rack.
At this point, bread may be torn and enjoyed warm! -
Once completely cool, bread may be sliced or transferred to an airtight bag. Store 1-2 days at room temperature, or 1 month frozen.
Note
I have not yet tested my recipe using a stand mixer. Try it and let me know!
Peruse my Recipe Review: Vegan Challah for a glimpse into how this recipe came to be.
