Whole grain challah is a family favorite around our house! If you stop by unexpectedly you can almost bet I’ll either have some in the process of being made or ready to eat. This recipe is simple, moist, slightly sweet, and so very fluffy. No one will believe you when you say it’s whole grain! As a bonus this recipe can also be used to make cinnamon rolls, donuts, and dinner rolls with just a few tweaks.
Things To Do For A Successful Loaf: Auto-Layse
I’m not going to dive into my life story before I give you the recipe, but I DO need to pass along why some of the steps in this recipe are key. If you want a successful loaf of ANY whole grain bread, do not skip these important steps and tips.
The auto-layse step allows the gluten forming proteins in the flour to fully hydrate, making your bread easier to knead and giving the best texture possible without adding any white flour.
The initial step of mixing in the water,honey, salt, and yeast and then allowing the dough to rest is not optional. It truly does take at least 35 minutes for the whole grain flour to absorb all of that moisture. If you live in a dry climate it may even take a bit longer. If you’re worried about the yeast over proofing the dough you can omit it and about 1/4 cup of water from the recipe and wait until right before you begin kneading to add. This will mean the dough is a bit sticky at first, but it isn’t terrible and works in while you knead. I like to do this if I want the dough to have an extended auto-layse.
Be Patient While Kneading
If kneading by hand: I specify to knead in the bowl you mixed everything in because if you turn it out on a work surface the dough would be so sticky you would have to add flour just to make it workable. Adding more flour will create a dryer dough which results in crumbly loaves. The dough will be sticky on your hands for a bit, but it’s amazing to see the transformation of the dough. It goes from being sticky on your hands for the first 10 minutes to being delightfully supple and smooth out of nowhere. You will still have a bit on your hands, but you can pull it off and add to the dough before giving it a last knead and letting it go back to bowl.
Let That Dough Rest Again!
Most recipes instruct you to have all of your pans ready to go before mixing up the dough, but Challah requires a bit more handling when making bread or cinnamon rolls. After kneading, let it rest for a few minutes while you get your baking pan ready to go. You don’t want to let it set so long it begins to rise, but allowing the gluten in the dough to rest for 5 minutes makes it easier to handle the dough while rolling it out.
That’s it! And it didn’t require you to have to read about how my great aunt Tilda always made this recipe and how special it was to our family and how she bequeathed it to me on her deathbed. Now, for the Recipe!
*NOTE I have since also posted a whole grain challah cinnamon roll recipe that is just as simple and delicious as this Challah Bread.
Easy 100% Whole Grain Challah
Ingredients
- 41/2 cups hard white wheat milled on the finest setting
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2-4 Tablespoons honey or can sugar
- 1/4 cup melted butter or oil butter cooled
- 1 egg yolk and white seperated
Instructions
- mill the grain on the finest setting your mill will allow. 3 cups of wheat berried generally yields 41/2 cups of flour.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, water, yeast, salt, and sugar/honey. Do not begin to knead, but incorporate as much flour as possible. If wanting to do an extended auto-layse for more digestive benefits, simply withhold 1/4 cup of water and the yeast and do not add until right before kneading. Let the dough rest in the covered bowl for at least 35 minutes, but up to 12 hours for an extended auto-layse.
- After the dough has rested for at least 35 minutes, add the egg yolk, oil/butter, (and yeast and 1/4 cup warm water if withheld earlier) to the rested dough.
- If kneading by hand, begin by taking hold of the dough and folding it to the center of the dough. Press down into the center, turn the bowl a quarter of the way around and continue to fold and press down for 15-20 minutes until the dough is not longer sticky, holds it's shape in a ball, and feels smooth and pliable.
- If kneading in a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment and begin kneading the bread on the lowest setting until the dough no longer is attached to the sides and bottom of the bowl. Then move the mixer up to a 2 or 3 speed and continue to knead until the dough looks smooth, pliable, and holds it's shape when the dough hook is removed. This generally takes 7-10 minutes. Always go by how the dough looks and feels over the time it has been kneaded.
- Let the dough rest for a few minutes as you prepare a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or greasing well and a lightly floured surface for shaping the loaf.
- Turn the dough out onto the lightly floured surface and dived into three even pieces. Shape into balls then shape into ropes, approximately 12-18 inches long depending on how long you want your loaf to be. The longer the loaf, the thinner it will be. Move the ropes to the prepared rimmed baking sheet. Connect the left ends of the three ropes together and turn under slightly. Begin braiding the ropes together until only an 1" is left. Attach the ends together as before and turn under slightly.
- Spread the egg whites over the dough using a brush or your fingers and coat all of the exposed parts of the dough. Cover with a clean cloth and set in a warm place. Preheat the oven to 350° while the dough is rising.Let rise until doubled.
- Once doubled in size, remove the cloth and place on a middle baking rack of your oven and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Allow to cool fully before slicing and enjoying. This makes a delicious side with regular or honey butter. Use leftovers to make french toast or toasted with your favorite jelly for an easy and yummy breakfast.
I hope you enjoy this whole grain challah as much as I do! I plan to add recipes for doughnuts and dinner rolls using this this whole grain challah recipe in the future. Until then, please comment how you like to use eat your challah and share this recipe with other home millers!
Shalom,
Olivia
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