vegan challah, finally

dough in a six strand braid

 

Challah may possibly be my favorite thing to bake. The process of mixing, kneading, braiding, and baking is something I find to be quite enjoyable. However trying to make a vegan challah recipe was a bit of an ordeal this summer. The problem is because challah is traditionally made with eggs, the first thing I did (and I’m assuming other vegans do too) is immediately try to replace the egg with a substitute in order to mimic a recipe more closely. I made numerous challah loaves this summer using flax seed, Ener-G egg replacer, so on and so forth. Needless to say, there is something to be said about simply removing said animal ingredient.

Vegan Challah Recipe (1 loaf)

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached, bread flour*
• 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons yeast
• ½ cup water (4 tablespoons + 4 tablespoons)
• 2 ½ tablespoons oil

Equipment

• Oven at 350°F.
• 1 large bowl.
• 2 medium sized bowls
• Measuring cups/spoons
• Something to stir with, like a fork.

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. If you’re using a baking stone have that preheat in the oven as well (though I suggest purchasing quarry tiles if you can, they work just as well and they’re a lot cheaper).
2. In a bowl mix 4 tablespoons warm water with a tablespoon of sugar. Let the sugar dissolve and then sprinkle your yeast on the water. Mix gently and let sit for approximately 10 minutes.
3. While you’re proofing your yeast, sift together your bread flour and the vital wheat gluten in one of the medium sized bowls. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, pour the oil.
5. Boil the remaining 4 tablespoons water and dissolve the salt and remaing sugar (1 tablespoon). Add this to the oil in the large bowl and mix thoroughly.
6. When this mixture is warm, but not hot, add the yeast and stir until incorporated.
7. Add the flour in 1/4 cup installments until mixed.
8. Knead the bread on a floured surface until it creates a tight ball. A good way to check if the dough is thoroughly kneaded is it you take a small bit of the dough and stretch it into a small square. If the dough tears easily when you do this it’s not done. The dough, when stretched should be elastic and create a semi-transparent film (called a “gluten window”).
9. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp towel. Place in a warm place (like a warm, preheated over that is NOT on). Allow the dough to rise for at least two hours.
10. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down and allow to rest for another 30 minutes to an hour.
11. Separate the dough into balls (anywhere from 3 to 6), and knead each one briefly for about 15 seconds.
12. Roll the balls into strands and braid.
13. Let the loaf rise for another 10 minutes.
14. Place into the oven and let bake for about 32 minutes. Check to see.
15. Bread is done when you can tap on both the bottom and top, and it sounds hollow. The challah should be medium golden brown.

*You may be tempted to substitute regular bread flour with whole wheat, I generally suggest against it. I have made this recipe using whole wheat flour and it generally burns because you have to cook the dough a lot longer. If you double the recipe and decide that you want to use whole wheat flour, I suggest a 1:3 ratio of whole wheat to bread flour.

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