If you have some free time and want to take on a baking project, then this is it! Delicious Challah (I can’t come up with a better name yet).

This is my second version of challah. Not that my original recipe, found here, isn’t amazing – it is. However, this one, if possible, is even more delicious. So, why don’t I make the even more delicious one all the time, you ask? Simply, it’s because of time. This recipe takes much more time.

Let me explain: a few months ago, I watched a video by Claire Saffitz on how she makes her challah. Inspired by her technique, and after trying out her recipe and loving it, I decided to adapt her technique of making a ‘sponge’ to my recipe. The results are amazing, but I won’t lie; this isn’t in any way harder or more complicated than making any other challah. There is, though, one additional step and very, very long waiting periods between each step.

How is it more delicious, though?

I have replaced sugar with honey and vegetable oil with olive oil. Both ingredients add more depth of flavor. In truth, you can do this with any challah recipe. To do so, weigh out the sugar in your recipe and replace it with an equal amount of honey. Replace vegetable oil with an equal amount of olive oil.

The big difference, though, is the amount of yeast in the recipe. If you look at my original challah recipe, and in fact, most challah recipes, you will find that there is a lot of yeast in them. The yeast is essential for helping the bread rise, but a lot of yeast also means that the bread gets stale faster, and the crumb isn’t as delicate.

In this new recipe, the yeast is reduced from ¼ cup to 2 teaspoons, meaning that you need to give everything a lot more time to rise, starting with creating a sponge out of the yeast, all the water in the recipe, and about ⅓ of the flour. Once that is activated, then regular challah making can commence, with a tremendous amount of patience, as the time between each rise takes much longer. The payoff, though, is the most delicious challah ever.

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 6 medium challahs

For Sponge:

• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 750ml (3 ¼ cups) warm water, divided
• 500g (4 cups) strong white flour

For the Challah:

• 1,200g (9 ½ cups) strong white flour
• 30g (3 tablespoons) salt
• 180g (½ cup) honey
• 90ml (6 ½ tablespoons) olive oil
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Egg wash:

• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon water

METHOD:

For Sponge:

1. Make the Sponge mixture: In a large bowl, combine the yeast and 1/2 cup of warm water, and whisk until the yeast is dissolved. Add the rest of the water and the bread flour, and stir with a spatula or whisk until you have a smooth, pasty mixture with no dry spots. It should look like a batter. 
2. Let rise: Cover the bowl. Let the sponge sit at room temperature until it’s nearly tripled in size, extremely bubbly across the surface, and jiggles on the verge of collapsing when the bowl is shaken, 1 to 2 hours (depending on the ambient temperature).

For the Challah:

1. Whisk together the wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, olive oil, and the eggs until smooth, then add to the bowl with the sponge. 
2. Add the bread flour and salt: Add all the flour and salt to the bowl and use a spatula, or one hand, while the other hand holds onto the bowl to stir the mixture, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate the sponge, until a shaggy dough comes together.
3. Knead the dough: Generously flour the work surface, then scrape the dough and any floury bits out of the bowl and onto the surface. Use the heel of your hands to knead the dough, adding flour as needed – if the dough is sticking to your hands or the surface – until the dough is very smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky; 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Test the dough: Pinch off a golf ball-sized piece and flatten it with your fingertips. Stretch the dough outward in all directions gently and slowly: You should be able to form a sheet of dough that’s thin enough to allow light to pass through without tearing. If the dough tears, continue kneading.
5. Let the dough rise (First rise): Gather the dough into a smooth ball, place the dough in a large oiled bowl. Cover and let the dough sit in a warm spot until it’s doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours (depending on the ambient temperature). The dough is risen when, pressed lightly with your finger; the dough should feel very airy and spring back, holding a slight impression. TIP: At this point, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours.
6. Take Challah: Remove an egg-sized portion of dough from the risen mix. If separating for challah, now is the time to make your blessing. Once you have made your blessing, dispose of the extra dough in a respectful manner.
7. Shape: Cut into 18 portions, each about 150g, roll out into long thin ropes about 35-38cm (14-15 inches) long, and braid/plait, as desired.
8. Second rise: Place on a baking tray lined with paper at least 5 cm (2 inches) apart, cover, and let it rise again, about 1 ½ -2 hours, until puffy (if the dough was refrigerated, this step may take an additional 30 minutes). TIP: Alternatively, before the second rise, you can refrigerate the dough overnight. Make sure it’s covered (plastic should cover it loosely but be sealed around the pan so the dough doesn’t dry out).
9. Make the egg wash: In a small bowl, combine the beaten egg with a tablespoon of water.
10.  Bake: Brush the challahs with egg wash and sprinkle with toppings (list of toppings here) and bake at 180°C/350°F for about 35-40 minutes, rotating trays halfway through cooking time. Bake until the challah is cooked through and, when tapping on the bottom of the challah, it sounds hollow.

MAKE AHEAD:

Challahs can be baked ahead of time. Allow them to cool completely before wrapping in aluminum foil and freezing for up to a month. Defrost completely before serving.

To Make the Pull-Apart Challah Pictured Above:

Using about ⅓ of the dough, cut away twelve 100g pieces of dough (yes, apologies, you will need a scale for this). Roll each piece of dough into a short sausage shape and then make a simple knot. Place the twelve knots into a lightly greased (I use olive oil for greasing the bottom of the pan), lined with parchment/baking paper, and greased again 20×30 cm (9×13 inch) baking tray. The dough knots will only slightly touch at this point, but by the time they have had their second proof and been baked, all the knots will form a rectangular slab of challah that will easily pull apart.