Ever since starting my nutrition consulting company GuindiFood, I’ve tried to make healthy food accessible to everyone. The question I get asked the most amongst my Jewish clients is: How can I stay on track during Shabbat? And we all know a loaf of challah is as addictive as a bag of chips. From the beginning of my health journey I’ve tried to healthify the foods I love the most, and challah is certainly up there.
As a rule of thumb, I try to use as many clean minimally processed ingredients as possible, and make the recipes as nutritious as I can without sacrificing my happiness on the way. The ingredients used for this recipe are as wholesome and healthy as possible, and they all have a purpose. The rye and spelt flour have a higher fiber content and a lower glycemic index, which can help manage blood sugar. The all-purpose flour is needed for a nice and fluffy texture, otherwise it would be a hard-to-eat brick. The honey has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial properties, which make it a great substitute for sugar. Avocado oil reduces inflammation and helps absorb certain vitamins coming from other foods. Turmeric is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant superfood that gets activated with the ground black pepper. Nigella seeds, which come from North Africa and Southwest Asia and have been used in Sephardic, Middle Eastern and Yemenite Jewish cooking for thousands of years, boost your immune system, lower blood pressure and decrease inflammation.
This recipe is as easy as it gets. All the ingredients, like the honey, avocado oil and flours can be substituted for different options, like coconut sugar or date honey (aka silan), olive oil, wholewheat flour, etc. It all comes together in one bowl and can be made by hand or in a stand mixer. Whenever handling the dough, I highly recommend using gloves if you don’t want yellow hands for a couple of days!
Notes:
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- If you want to do the blessing for hafrashat challah, then you have to quadruple the recipe in order to have enough dough.
- You can buy nigella seeds in Middle Eastern grocery stores, specialty food markets and on Amazon.
- The water should be warm, but not hot, otherwise the yeast can be deactivated. If you’re able to put your finger in it and you can leave it in for a few seconds, then it’s the perfect temperature.
- This recipe is perfect to make ahead a few days and freeze! As soon as it cools down, you can wrap it up in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month.
- If you want to make the dough ahead, place it in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap, overnight and bake the next day after shaping it and letting it come to room temperature.
Multigrain Challah Recipe
There’s nothing better than tearing into a challah on Shabbat. This multigrain challah is the perfect healthy alternative!
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 ½ Tbsp active dry yeast
- 6 Tbsp raw honey, divided
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 4 eggs, one used for the egg wash
- 2 ½ cups bread flour or all-purpose flour
- 1 cup rye flour
- ½ cup spelt flour or wholewheat flour
- 1 ½ tsp Himalayan sea salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ Tbsp turmeric
- 1 Tbsp nigella seeds (known also as black cumin)
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- splash of water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer put the warm water, yeast and 1 Tbsp honey. Let that sit until it gets bubbly and the yeast activates.
- Add in the remaining 5 Tbsp honey, the avocado oil and the three eggs. Mix well.
- Sift the all-purpose flour with the rye flour and spelt flour. If using wholewheat, don’t sift it because we want the bran that comes with it.
- Add the Himalayan salt, black pepper and turmeric to the flour.
- Combine the flour mix with the wet ingredients and knead on a medium speed until a dough ball forms. If you notice it’s too sticky, feel free to add more all-purpose flour.
- Once you have a uniform dough, add in the nigella seeds and mix in for another minute or so. 8. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap to let it rise until doubled in volume. About 1 hour, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Shape the dough into two medium braids and let them rise for 20 minutes on the baking tray lined with a silicone pad or parchment paper. Cover, so the dough doesn’t develop a dry exterior.
- Combine one egg and a splash of water in a small bowl, and brush the braided challah with the egg wash. If you want a really golden color, you can brush the challah twice with the egg wash.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until it browns on top. (If it’s browning too much but 30 minutes haven’t passed, lower the temperature of the oven to 350°F and leave for a few more minutes in the oven.)If you’re not sure if it’s cooked through, tap it on the bottom and it should sound hollow.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Notes
- If you want to do the blessing for hafrashat challah, then you have to quadruple the recipe in order to have enough dough.
- You can buy nigella seeds in Middle Eastern grocery stores, specialty food markets and on Amazon.
- This recipe is perfect to make ahead a few days and freeze! As soon as it cools down, you can wrap it up in plastic wrap and freeze for up to a month. The water should be warm, but not hot, otherwise the yeast can be deactivated. If you’re able to put your finger in it and you can leave it in for a few seconds, then it’s the perfect temperature.
- If you want to make the dough ahead, place it in the fridge, covered in plastic wrap, overnight and bake the next day after shaping it and letting it come to room temperature.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Basics
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