Yeast dough required patience and knowing which ingredients work together well and which don’t. And when you add the right ingredients in the right order and give the dough the time it needs – you’re fail proof.
A few tips before you give this a try though:
1) Since this is made of Whole Wheat flour, please make sure you knead the dough (using your hands or dough hook) a bit longer than usual. It’ll give it more softness and fluffiness once it’s baked.
2) Be patient. Whole Wheat takes a bit longer to rise. So go read a book or something while the dough rises
3) This dough turns out non tacky at all, but if it does for you from some reason (maybe the flour you’re using or room temperature) just rub your hands with a bit of oil and remove the dough from the hook with oily hands and then pat it with the oil as you place it in a bowl to let it rise. If you add more flour you might end up having a dry challah.
Print
Whole Wheat Challah with Maple
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf (12 slices) 1x
Description
Add a touch of Canadian-style sweetness to your normal challah dough for a delicious loaf. This challah is sweet, soft and just delicious. Made with whole wheat flour but tastes so much better that just any other whole wheat challah. It has a sweet after taste and of course a fantastic smell.
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500g) Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Dry Yeast
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) White Sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) Maple Syrup
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) Vegetable Oil (not olive oil)
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 cup (240 ml) Water
For the Glaze:
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) Maple Syrup
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) Lukewarm Water
Instructions
- Place the flour, yeast, sugar, maple, oil and salt in a stand mixer bowl (or large mixing bowl if doing by hand).
- Add in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and using your dough hook, start mixing on low speed.
- Once it starts incorporating, gradually add in the remaining 1/2 cup water white mixing.
- Now increase the mixing speed by just a bit and let the mixer do its thing. Mix for about 4 minutes.
- The dough should now be fully incorporated, separated from the bowl and wrapped around the dough hook.
- Remove the dough from the hook and knead by hand a few times.
- Shape as ball and place back in the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Let the dough rest and rise until it doubles its size (about 1 hour).
- After the dough had doubled its size, remove it from the bowl and divide into the the number of strands you’d like to make your challah with (I made it with 4 so divided the dough into 4 pieces).
- Roll each piece of dough into a strand. Pinch all strands together before shaping (you don’t want the braid to open while baking).
- Once done shaping, place the braided challah on a baking sheet layered with parchment paper and cover with a clean kitchen towel and set a side.
- Let the challah rest and rise again. This should take about 40 minutes now.
- Preheat oven to 190C (375F) and after 40 minutes, remove the towel and gently place the challah in the oven for baking.
- Bake 20 minutes until it’s nice and brown.
- While the challah is in the over prepare the glaze by simply placing the maple syrup and water in a small saucepan and heating on medium heat while stirring, until it start to boil. Remove from heat immediately.
- After 20 minutes, remove the challah from the oven (you’ll know it’s ready if when you tap on it you hear a hollow sound) and immediately brush with the maple glaze (while the challah is still hot).
- Let the challah cool completely & enjoy.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 210
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Rosemary Garlic Challah Bread
- Hard, Delicious Labor: Maple Syruping in Delano, Minnesota
- Almond Butter, Maple and Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- Filled Maple Cookies
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does this recipe say to knead the whole wheat dough longer than usual?
The article explains that extra kneading — using a dough hook or by hand — is specifically required because of the whole wheat flour. It develops more softness and fluffiness once baked; skipping this will result in a denser loaf.
How long does whole wheat challah need to rise?
The dough goes through two rises: about 1 hour to double in size after mixing, then another 40 minutes after braiding and shaping. The recipe notes that whole wheat flour takes a bit longer to rise than all-purpose flour, so patience is essential.
What should I do if my dough feels tacky?
The article warns against adding more flour, which can dry out the challah. Instead, rub your hands with a little oil to remove the dough from the hook cleanly, then pat the dough lightly with oil before placing it in the bowl to rise.
When should I apply the maple glaze?
The glaze — 4 tbsp maple syrup and 2 tbsp lukewarm water, heated until it just boils — must be brushed onto the challah immediately while the bread is still hot from the oven. Applying it while hot allows the glaze to soak in and set as the loaf cools.
