Tag Archives: Seeded Challah

Black and White Seeded Challah

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I intended to share this gorgeous challah with you about a month ago, but right after baking and shooting it, I got sick with a respiratory virus that knocked me out for most of April. I went for three COVID tests over 10 days and they were all negative, so it wasn’t that, but some other gem I somehow picked up. Four weeks in and I’m still coughing and tired but starting to feel better. Hope you’re all doing well.

When I first saw this 12 strand Black and White seeded challah on the Instagram feed of @misspetel, I was mesmerized. She is an insanely creative Tel Aviv based food blogger. For years, I have been baking the same 3 braid challah every Friday and it was getting a bit boring. It was time for me to upgrade my challah baking skills.

I’m not going to lie, you will be sweeping up poppy and sesame seeds for a few days after baking this, but the results are so worth it. The braiding looks complicated, but it’s really quite simple. I created a video for you to watch and see how it it all comes together.

I learned the shaping technique in the above video from a little e-book called “My Favourite Braids” from the talented German baker Katharina Arrigoni. Check out her Instagram account @besondersgut She’s a braiding wizard. The e-book is a great resource if you’re keen to learn more. The e-book is a great resource if you’re keen to learn more.

Slicing into the challah yields a beautiful swirly pattern of seeds and adds a great crunchy contrast to the pillowy soft bread. It’s a very impressive presentation. The best part is leftover challah on Saturday morning, slathered with butter, sour cherry preserves and flaky sea salt.

Click here to print recipe for Black-and-White-Seeded-Round-ChallahDownload

I hope you’ll try baking this one. It’s become a favourite at our house. Take a picture and send it to me if you bake it.

“Everything” Holiday Challah

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3-challahs-on-wooden-boardI have been making the same holiday challah for at least 15 years now. Everyone in the family loves it and looks forward to it. It’s possible I risk a mutiny if I dare to bake a different recipe. Yet, when I saw this challah in Uri Scheft’s book “Breaking Breads” I was enchanted. It looked like an everything bagel! I had to make it. Since Rosh Hashanah doesn’t start until Sunday night, I decided to do a test run for Friday night dinner at my son’s house.

Uri’s dough is much leaner than mine. Mine contains more eggs and oil. One recipe uses a kilogram (7 cups) of all-purpose flour. It’s enough to make 3 small challahs. A scale will be your best friend for dividing the dough. divide-into-3Each piece of dough gets further divided into 3 pieces and rolled out into 14 inch ropes.14-inch-ropesI like to start my braid in the center and work out toward both ends. Braid loosely. if the braids begin to stick to each other, give them a light dusting of flour. Wrap the braid into a circle, with a hole in the center. I found attaching the ends a bit challenging. I just sort of squeezed them together. Cover the challahs and let them double in size.

Now comes the fun part. Get all your toppings ready. I used sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, golden flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and nigella (black onion) seeds. I finished it off with a scatter of maldon sea salt flakes. toppings Brush the braid with egg.brushing-with-eggHave fun with the toppings.looks-like-an-everything-bagelInsert a small ovenproof bowl in the center so that the hole does not get filled in when dough bakes.ready-for-ovenBake at 400°F for about 25 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Serve with honey in the middle for dipping.baked-with-honey-in-cernterOr serve the honey on the side for drizzling. a-drizzle-of-honeyThis challah dough is much denser than mine.A very different, but delicious challah experience. It really did remind me of an everything bagel. They are just so freaking adorable. We took a vote and decided to make both kinds of challah for our Rosh Hashanah lunch on Monday. I’ll let you know what everyone says!

Click here to print recipe for Everything-Holiday-Challah.