Please take our survey! Click here
Please enter the email you’re using for this account.
Parve
Easy
2 Hours
Diets 
1 and 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast or bread machine yeast if using a bread maker
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 tablespoon, or to taste, vanilla bean paste OR McCormick vanilla butter & nut flavor
2 eggs
3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) Gefen Canola Oil
1/2 tablespoon (1 and 1/2 teaspoons) pink Himalayan sea salt or table salt
5 cups bread flour
strawberry jelly such as Tuscanini or flavor of your choice, for filling
If you are using a bread maker, place ingredients (except for the filling) in order of the manufacturer’s instructions. If you are making this by hand or mixer, place water, sugar, and yeast in bowl. Mix lightly for a few seconds, and allow yeast to proof (about five to 10 minutes). You want to ensure your yeast is potent/alive.
Next add eggs, oil, and mix.
Add flour one cup at a time, followed by the salt. You might find you may need slightly more or slightly less flour than the 5 cups the recipe calls for. That’s ok! You can also add a little extra oil or water if your dough feels dry. If using a mixer, continue to “knead” until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and develops a smooth and silky texture. If kneading by hand, it helps to keep a small bowl of oil or cooking spray nearby to coat or spray your hands. A common mistake people make is adding more flour when they feel the dough is sticky. In fact, it’s not the dough that is sticky, but your hands that are warm, which make the dough feel that way.
If you find your dough is tough to work with, allow the dough to rest for a few minutes to allow the gluten to relax. Not only will you feel slightly refreshed and relaxed, your dough will, too!
Spray your workspace with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil spray to make your life easier.
Once the dough is well kneaded, place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Place it in a warm spot and let it rise for at least an hour or two, until it’s doubled in size.
Next, punch down the dough and give it once last knead. Now it’s time to divide it up.
Using a sharp knife, separate your dough into evenly sized balls. I find a kitchen scale is a challah saver which yields even, beautiful challahs that look incredible and bake perfectly. I recommend six and a half ounces per ball, but it’s up to you.
Roll out each dough ball into a short snake. Then flatten each snake ever so slightly lengthwise and widthwise with a rolling pin. You want your snake wider rather than longer so it’s able to hold the fillings. I suggest using a pastry bag or cupcake decorating/filling tool for even distribution, but a spoon works just as well.
Bring up both sides of the strand and pinch together to seal and roll gently on counter to hide the seal. Continue with the remaining strands and shape/braid as you wish.
Place on parchment-lined baking sheet or in a sprayed loaf or challah pan.
Allow to rise approximately 20 to 30 minutes while preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Meanwhile, beat two eggs with a teaspoon (or more) of honey or sugar, and mix well.
Using a pastry brush, brush egg mixture over challah. Sprinkle on some sugar in the raw or Swedish pearl sugar.
Bake 25 minutes before checking on your challahs.
Rotate pans and continue to bake another 10 minutes.
You can tell the challah is fully baked by checking the bottom. It should sound hollow when tapped and be golden brown. The top should also be slightly firm without any soft spots.
Remove from oven and cool slightly before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Once challahs are cool, slice and enjoy! A light (or heavy) dusting of confectioners sugar really takes it over the top.
How Would You
Rate this recipe?
Please log in to rate
Placing the jam/jelly on the dough is actually not mentioned in step 9! How much to use?
She doesn’t give a specific amount, just mentions not to overfill it. You can check out step 10 in the original article: https://www.kosher.com/article/two-chanukah-challahs-to-light-up-your-shabbat-table-279/
I’d suggest using about 2-3 tablespoons. Hope that helps!