This challah recipe is truly revelatory. It comes from former BA deputy editor Julia Kramer’s mom, Jill Weinberg. All we can hope is that our faithful version comes close. (For best results, bake weekly for several decades.) It’s “not airy and brioche-like, as are most ‘good’ challahs I’ve encountered in my life,” Julia explains. “And that’s why I love it. It has a density, such that when you pull it, it comes apart in twists and hunks—not feathery threads.”
That density comes in part, she believes, from shortening—an ingredient that often replaces butter in Jewish baking, so pastries and breads can be served at kosher meat meals (milk and meat cannot mix according to kosher law). Challah is traditionally made for Jewish holidays like Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), but this recipe it’s wonderful whether you’re celebrating or not. Don’t be tempted to swap the shortening for vegetable oil, which would render the bread greasy and leaden.
A simple three-strand braid and an optional dusting of crunchy seeds add visual appeal. The recipe makes two golden brown braided loaves, but can easily be halved if preferred. The challah will keep, tightly wrapped, on the counter for three days or in the freezer for up to a month. Leftover challah is ideal for French toast and bread pudding.