Challah Baking Instructions

Ok, let the adventure begin. If you have purchased one of our DEliciously superb frozen unbaked Challah and would like to cook it – here’s how it’s done: First you must defrost or otherwise unfreeze/thaw your challah, an afternoon on the counter or overnight in the refrigerator will usually suffice. In a true Challah emergency you can accelerate the process by microwaving the frozen challah for about 2 minutes on LOW – you do not want to soften it, just to raise it’s temp from frozen solid to barely frozen.

Now, place your defrosted Challah on a piece of baking paper or aluminum foil in a baking pan of sufficient size to accommodate the growth of your Challah as it rises (in the biz this is called proofing). I like to use my fingers to lightly coat the bottom of the Challah with corn oil thereby allowing the bottom to smoothly expand rather than sticking and burning on the bottom – but hey that’s just me. If your pan is of sufficient size you can even do two Challahs simultaneously (or a Challah and a few rolls).Place this pan in your favorite warm, moist, draft free area. I use my oven (turned off!) with a tray of water in the bottom. Allow the Challah to rise for 2-4 hours (depending on it’s relative state of defrostiture, the warmth of your draft free area and other atmospheric parameters). 

When the Challah has expanded to normal Challah proportions turn on your oven (325-350 degrees), then mix one egg with a little water and gently brush the Challah with the egg/water mixture. This creates the gently pleasing Challah glow. If you must adulterate your Challah, now is the time to sprinkle it with sesame seeds, poppy seeds (if you're not scheduled for drug screening) or other personal flavoring aids.  Please note: If you are a Raisin Challah kind of person I would insert raisins before rising when the Challah is defrosted but not too soft, poke holes in the bottom of the Challah with a sharp skinny knife and shove or otherwise insert moistened raisins into the hole to your preferred depth.

Place your Challah in the center of your oven (close the door) and wait 15 to 20 minutes until it is a beautiful golden Challah, allow to cool before serving. It is easy to go from Golden to burnt so keep an eye on it. Have fun!!

In summary: Defrost, Allow to rise, Brush with Egg/water Mix, Bake 15 to 20 min. at 325 to 350 deg., Motzhi, Eat.