Recipes
Vegan (egg-free) challah
A plant-based and healthy make-over for the iconic Jewish bread
January 3, 2025 08:00
A plant-based and healthy make-over for the iconic Jewish bread
January 3, 2025 08:00Cook: 35-40 minutes
Serves: 8
Trust me this loaf, which uses no oil and minimal sugar, is as delicious as a regular challah. Egg replacer is used to bind. Yeast and baking soda give a perfect rise. A minimal amount of sugar provides just the right amount of sweetness. Finally, oil is replaced with a surprising mixture of coconut milk and potato puree to give a moist crumb.
I invented this by accident while recipe testing - I wanted to use apple puree but it was 5am and I only had a potato. I tried it and it works! It hits all the challah taste and appearance boxes: smells like challah, tastes like challah and pulls apart like challah. Best of all, it is healthier for our bodies and our planet.
Method:
Make the potato puree by peeling and dicing a medium potato and boiling it for 12 minutes. Mash with a fork and set aside to cool.
Prove the yeast: place yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar in 120ml warm (not hot) water. Mix and leave to sit for about 10 minutes until foamy.
In a separate prep bowl, combine coconut milk, baking powder and 3 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
In another prep bowl, combine egg replacer with 3 tablespoons of water and set aside for at least 1 minute.
Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast, coconut milk, egg replacer and the potato puree mixtures to the dry ingredients in the large bread bowl. Combine well, using clean hands, until a sticky dough forms.
Tip the dough onto a clean floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Add flour sparingly as needed.
Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise for 2 hours.
Gently push the air out of the dough and divide into strands - two for a round challah and three for a braid. It is worth using a kitchen scale to make sure you have equal parts.
For a two-strand round challah: roll each strand into a long cylinder and twist them round each other to form a double helix shape. On an oiled baking sheet, arrange the dough twist into a spiral shape. Tuck the end pieces under.
For a three-strand challah braid: lay the strands side-by-side and pinch together at the top end. Braid and pinch to finish the end. Place on an oiled baking sheet. Cover the challah with a clean cloth and allow to rise for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 190°C (350°F).
Optional step: brush sparingly with a maple syrup wash. The aim is to add shine - too much will make your bread soggy.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until bread is golden brown.
Variations:
Chewy: add approx 200g (1 cup) of chopped raisins or cranberries when combining wet and dry ingredients.
Baked starch: use baked sweet potato puree or pumpkin puree to sweeten and give a yellow hue.
Apricot Jam: in shaping your dough, roll it into two long thin rectangles and spread with 60ml of apricot jam and 2 tablespoons of applesauce. Roll each into a cylinder (like a Swiss roll) and then twist them together into a double helix shape.
Recipe adapted from Beyond Chopped Liver: 59 Jewish Recipes Get A Vegan Makeover
First published in the JC January 01 2022
Ingredients
90g potato puree
1 ½ tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
120ml warm water
3 tbsp coconut milk
2 tsp baking powder
6 tbsp warm water
1 ½ tbsp egg replacer
375g plain flour, plus more for kneading step
1 ½ tsp salt
50g natural cane sugar + 1 tsp for proofing stage
For the maple syrup wash:
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp water