Challah coach and therapist Mandy Silverman, aka Mandylicious, is the “People’s Challah Person.” She is all about helping others have success when baking challah.
“Challah could really take a toll on you,” Silverman told the Journal. “I spend so much time trying to help people understand their challah or baking situations … and help them feel better about themselves.”
Since challah is such a traditional Jewish bread, Silverman says people feel a lot of pressure to make it perfect. If a challah doesn’t look exactly like the one someone saw in the bakery window or at their great aunt’s dinner table, they think they have done something wrong. And they stop baking challah.
“If you see a challah somewhere, it’s not going to be the same coming out of your house,” she said. “But it’s gonna be delicious because it’s yours.”
Silverman, who started her challah journey by trying to recreate a honey-stuffed version for her mom, has proven that you can have fun with challah!
The first step to making good challah is to have the right mindset.
“You want to make sure that you’re doing it because you want to try something out [and] make something yummy,” Silverman said. “And if it doesn’t look right, the first one or two or six times, that’s okay. There’s no such thing [as perfect]. It’s perfect for you.”
After you get in the challah frame of mind, the next trick is to look for the dough consistency.
“Challah [is] not an exact science, because so many different things play into the amount of flour or water you’re going to be adding,” she said.
For example, if it’s cloudy and rainy, you may need to add a little more flour.
“I look at the dough texture and make sure it’s tacky, not sticky,” she said. “Everyone should be doing that in their own kitchen.”
For stuffed challah, sometimes you flavor the dough, other times you add to it. For instance, if Silverman is making Everything-flavored challah, she’ll add a couple of tablespoons of Everything Seasoning to the dough.
“When you’re doing that, you have to make sure that you’re not adding extra salt, because extra salt in the dough will kill your yeast,” she said. “Or if I’m adding something that has a sweetener in it, like [maple syrup] for maple dough, I have to take away some of the regular sugars to make up the difference. Too much sugar will also kill your yeast.”
That’s for flavoring the dough. When stuffing the dough, you don’t have to worry about salt or sugar content. You can be creative. Just be aware of the texture of what you want to use as stuffing.
“Anything that’s too liquidy won’t work because it will make your dough gummy,” Silverman said. “So if you’re using pulled brisket, for example, drain all the gravy off of that brisket.”
The same principle applies to fresh vegetables. Before stuffing your challah with spinach and onions, cook down that spinach first, so all the water is released.
There are several things that do not work in stuffed challah; gummy items, like jelly beans and Laughy Taffy, and oily things, such as hummus and peanut butter.
“Everyone thinks, ‘if I bake the hummus in the challah, it’s going to be … creamy when you cut in, like how you dip challah in hummus,” Silverman said. “It’s not. It separates.”
Peanut butter does the exact same thing. While it tastes good, it’s not always what people envision. As an alternative, you can use peanut butter chips inside or incorporate peanut butter powder into the challah dough.
“If you’re changing the dough, you knead it in,” Silverman said.
Most of the time when you stuff a challah, Mandylicious-style, you see a thick ribbon of filling when you slice it. To get that effect, you need to divide the dough into the three strands for the braid, flatten those strands, put the filling in the center and then close up the strand over the filling. Then braid the sealed strands.
For a starter stuffed challah, try adding chopped cookies [Oreos] or chocolate chips.
They are approachable and delicious!
Read more about Mandy Sliverman and follow @MandyliciousChallah on Instagram.
For the full conversation, listen to the podcast:
Watch the interview:
Mandylicious Cookies and Cream Challah (with Vegan Option)
1 1/3 cup water
4 1/4 cup high quality bread flour
1/3 cup canola oil
Generous 1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons table salt
Extra water and flour as needed for consistency
2 cups roughly chopped oreos (any flavor) (can mix with any flavored chocolate chips, if desired)
1 egg for egg wash
To make vegan:
– In place of egg yolks, increase water to 1 1/2 cups and oil to 1/2 cup
– Instead of egg wash, use oil or melted margarine
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and knead for 5-7 minutes by hand or by using the dough hook in a stand mixer. If sticky, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time; if dry, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time. The goal is to create a cohesive ball of dough that is not floury to the touch.
Allow to rise in a large bowl, covered with a towel for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove dough from bowl, and divide challah dough into 6 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into long ropes, and using a rolling pin, roll each portion into a rectangle around 9-10 inches long and 4 inches wide. Spread around 1/3 cup of the chopped oreo mixture evenly over each flattened strand being sure to leave a ½” border all the way around the filling. Gently bring up both long sides of the dough over the cookies, pinch and seal all the way down the strand. Repeat for the remaining two strands.
Carefully braid the strands together, then place in a greased loaf pan or parchment lined baking sheet.
Repeat with the remaining 3 strands.
Cover with a towel and let rise for 20-30 minutes in a draft-free place.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the egg well to prepare the egg wash. Brush over the challahs.
Bake challah for approximately 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. Best served slightly warm.
Every week, Debra Eckerling hosts bite-sized conversations about food, cooking and community. Check out the full conversation: JewishJournal.com/podcasts.
Debra Eckerling is a writer for the Jewish Journal and the host of “Taste Buds with Deb.” Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Email Debra: tastebuds@jewishjournal.com.
More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.