How to make vegan challah

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Challah on Fridays has been a constant in my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up at Jewish day school we were given slices of fluffy sweet challah and tiny cups of grape juice each Friday afternoon for Kabbalat Shabbat—the welcoming of the Sabbath. That evening I would enjoy generous chewy pulls of my grandma’s fragrant home baked loaves, passed around the Shabbat table with aunts, uncles, and cousins. After my grandma passed away, my dad carried on the challah tradition. Even while I was in college across the country, he would express mail me a loaf each week. When I became vegan, he experimented with egg substitutions to come up with a recipe that was just as rich and comforting.

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vegan challah
vegan challah

Over the years we’ve tried various techniques for perfecting vegan challah, and this recipe is one I personally find evokes childhood nostalgia in the sweetest way. The flavor is nuttier and more complex than the cloud-like slices I savored in elementary school thanks to whole spelt flour and the addition of flax meal. And though a maple syrup glaze doesn’t create the sheen my grandma’s egg wash did, it still offers a nice golden hue to the crust. 

Whether challah was baked into your upbringing like it was mine, or you’re new to the traditional Jewish bread, I hope you try making this decidedly non-traditional challah recipe. It will fill your home with the most wonderful, wholesome aroma—an olfactory hug, if you will—and it’s perfect for sharing with friends and family any night of the week.

Stay hungry,
Maia Welbel
Closed Loop Cooking

How to make vegan challah   by

Over the years we’ve tried various techniques for perfecting vegan challah, and this recipe is one I personally find evokes childhood nostalgia in the sweetest way. The flavor is nuttier and more complex than the cloud-like slices I savored in elementary school thanks to whole spelt flour and the addition of flax meal.

makes: 2 loaves | prep time: 15 min | rise time: 2 - 8 hours | cook time: 30 min | total time: 45 min

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vegan challah

Ingredients

  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 flax eggs ( 2 tbsp flax meal + 4 tbsp water)
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil or melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups whole spelt flour (or sub all-purpose)
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup + 2 tbsp water (for glaze)

To-Do's

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together water, maple syrup, and yeast. Let sit to foam while you prepare other ingredients.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flax meal, water, and vinegar. Let sit for 2 minutes to gel.
  3. To the flax mixture, add oil, applesauce, and salt. Mix well.
  4. Pour in flour and mix with your hands until clumps start to form.
  5. Pour in yeast mixture. Mix until fully incorporated and no dry bits remain.
  6. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and stretchy (approx. 10 mins). It will be sticky to start so be generous with the flour. Shape into a ball and return to oiled bowl.
  7. Cover bowl with a dishcloth and let rise for 1-2 hours, until almost doubled in size. (You can also prepare the dough the night before you plan to bake and refrigerate overnight to rise).
  8. Once dough has risen, place it back onto a floured surface and slice in half using a sharp knife. Shape each half into an oval. Slice each oval long ways in thirds. Roll each third into a log.
  9. Place three logs parallel to one another and pinch tops together. Cross the right over the center, then the left over the new center. Continue to braid until you reach the end. Pinch ends together to finish. Repeat with the remaining three logs.
  10. Transfer loaves to an oiled baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  11. Whisk together maple syrup and water for glaze. Brush onto loaf using a pastry brush or your fingers.
  12. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool. Pull off a hunk and enjoy.
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