Challah Delish

I’m so excited to feature THE BEST CHALLAH EVER this week. I have been ordering from Emily at Challah Delish for awhile now. Trust me, you’ve never tasted challah this good. Emily has a wide variety of delicious flavors that are all exceptional. My kids and I recently took one of her virtual challah baking classes and had a blast. Great covid lockdown activity that you can do with friends and family in different locations. You can be sure we’ll be ordering both of the special flavors you see here for Thanksgiving weekend!From the time she was young, Emily remembers the distinct taste of her mother’s famous cinnamon coffee cake, a dessert made from a soft yeast dough, mixed with just the right amount of sugar and cinnamon. It tasted like comfort, love and laughter. It is memories like this one that drove Emily to begin baking homemade goods for her family and friends. For Emily, a warm homemade challah is the best way to say thank you, congrats, and I’m thinking of you.

When Emily’s friend, a former co-counselor at camp, became very ill, Emily baked challahs and sold them as a way to earn money for her friend’s charity campaign. Years later, Emily still makes challah on a weekly basis - but her plain challah is only the beginning. She has seasonal offerings, but her most popular challah flavors are sweet crumb, caramelized onion, Lotus cookie, and everything topped.

Due to popular demand, Emily has increased her menu to include iced bundt cakes, chocolate chip sticks, brownies, kokosh (babka’s gooey cousin), and chocolate covered f’Oreos (a word she made up to combine faux + Oreo since they’re the purely non-dairy version).

Emily has been leading in-person challah bakes and demos for the past ten years. Since the pandemic, she has shifted gears and has led many virtual demos. Many school communities, shuls and extended families have bonded over her online challah bakes.

Nothing makes Emily happier than knowing that people are enjoying her delectable baked goods, whether they are actually baked by Emily or by those inspired by her creativity and passion.

To place an order or set up a Zoom challah demo, contact Emily on Instagram @challahdelish or email her at challahdelish@gmail.com

CHALLAH RECIPE

Yield: 2 braided challahs and 6 rolls

INGREDIENTS
To proof yeast:
1 Tbs active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
For recipe:
1.5 cups warm water
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
9 cups of bread flour - you may not use all of it,
1 Tbs Kosher salt
1/2 cup canola oil

Mix the yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 cup of warm water in a large bowl. Mix with a fork. Set aside and let it bubble. This should take about 5-10 minutes. Add 1.5 cups warm water. Add 6 cups of the flour, all the sugar, salt, and eggs and only 1/4 cup of the oil. Fold and mix with one hand and turn bowl with other. Mix well. Gradually add 1-2 additional cups of flour and drizzle a little oil at a time until it’s a soft dough . It should be smooth and springy. Put a finger in the middle and it will spring back. Too much oil and dough will look and feel goopy; too much flour and it will feel crumbly and dense. You can use some of the remaining cup of flour to sprinkle on your baking surface when you braid. When you have the dough at the right consistency, cover it with a dry kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 hour.

Braid your challah dough and place in a sprayed oblong pan or on a parchment paper lined pan. Knot your strands of dough to create rolls. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes and then brush the tops of the loaves with beaten egg. Top with your favorite topping and bake in a 350 degree oven. Rolls will be golden and ready in 22-25 mins and loaves will need about 38-45 mins depending on your oven and preference.

For sweet potato pie challah, wash and pierce a whole sweet potato. Cook in microwave for 9-12 minutes until fork tender. When braiding the dough, flatten three strands and fill the middle portions with cubed sweet potato (no peel) , mini marshmallows and brown sugar. Close the dough on each side to seal the stuffing. Braid the sealed strands, and proceed as you would with the basic challah.

For Lotus cookie challah, spread a very generous amount of Lotus Biscoff cookie butter down the middle of the strands of dough. Seal the sides. Braid the strands and crumble Lotus Biscoff cookies on the egged braid. Proceed as you would with the basic challah.