Sweet Vegan Challah Bread
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast
1 cup warm water
3 to 4 tablespoons agave or maple syrup
3 tablespoons vegan butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon salt
egg replacer for 1 egg
(I use ener-g egg replacer; you could also use 1 tablespoon flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
nonstick spray
1. Dissolve yeast in the warm water in a large bowl; stir in agave. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Add melted vegan butter, salt, and egg replacer; stir well with a whisk. Lightly sift flours with a fork to break up any lumps. Add 2 3/4 cups flour mix to yeast mixture, and stir until a soft dough forms. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Add remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands. Dough will be very soft. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top.
3. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°f), free from drafts, 40 minutes or until doubled in size. To check if dough is ready, gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough. Punch dough down. Shape dough into a ball; return to bowl. Cover and let rise an additional 40 minutes or until doubled in size.
4. Punch dough down; cover and let rest 15 minutes. Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, on a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 25" rope with slightly tapered ends. Place ropes lengthwise on a large baking sheet, pinch ends together to seal. Braid ropes; pinch loose ends to seal.
5. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until almost doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 30 minutes or until bread sounds hollow until when lightly tapped, let cool for 20 minutes and then dig in!
Source of recipe: I adapted this recipe from one I found in cooking light, took a bit of tinkering but I think I finally got it right! Enjoy!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Thank you for this recipe. Yummy!
I tried it just now. It is amazing!!! i used all purpose flour... My first time making this type of bread. will be making it again :)
This is amazing. As a girl from Long Island, my challah standards are pretty high, and this is as good as any challah from a bakery or bagel shop. Seriously - I can't get over how good it is. I didn't have bread flour, so I used all-purpose and added a tablespoon of gluten. Also, I had to add a lot of flour (whole wheat pastry) to get the dough to be workable, but in the end, it was crazy good. If it lasts long enough to start going stale, I can't wait to make French toast with it. Mmmmmmmm.
Great recipe! I use it weekly for my husband and i, who recently became vegan :)
The only problem I have with this bread is that I can't stop eating it. It was my first large loaf of bread and I hope it won't be my last. It's amazing!!! My Jewish roommate and her Jewish boyfriend were amazed at how good it was! I used Gold Medal Whole Wheat flour and that is definitely now my flour of choice. No more white for me for anything! I might even pick up a few loaf pans this weekend and turn this into sandwich bread.
:D :D :D :D
:)>>> I made this yesterday morning, and it is DELIGHTFUL! The texture is dreamy. A wonderful vegan adaptation. I think next time, I will add all four Tbsp or more of agave (I only used three and it wasn't quite as sweet as I expected). The whole wheat flour makes it especially interesting and tasty. And it all came together so easily, thanks to your detailed instructions. Thanks for making me feel like a pro baker!!
This bread was excellent! I also added cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Thank you very much for sharing this!
This is a terrific recipe! The instructions are very detailed. I didn't make a traditional challah loaf; instead I rolled it out flat and spread melted earth balance over it with a mix of cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg and cloves..then a few raisins! Rolled it up and plopped it into a loaf pan and it was just like my mommy used to make :) I used a mix of white whole wheat flour and all purpose flour, and the bread had a wonderful soft texture.
Working on this baby right now (it's in its first rise). I'm using flax egg, molasses because I have no agave and only "sugar-free low-calorie maple-flavored syrup" (robust molasses, 2T + ~1T turbinado sugar + 1T water, actually), and all-purpose flour instead of the whole wheat.
A bit sticky, so I added more AP flour until it was workable. (Can you tell I can't follow a recipe? Or is it not obvious enough?)
I like that it's not too fussy. Just made a vegan version of the Russian black bread here, so a non-fussy bread is a good follow-up.
The molasses seems so far to have given the dough a lovely yellow hue.
Oh, and I've never had challah before.
I made this yesterday, with two alterations-I had no white flour, so I used all stone ground WW flour, and I added 1 tsp. ground turmeric for an "eggy" yellow color. It's delicious, and I went out and bought unbleached white bread flour for the next time I make this!