Go Back
+ servings

Spelt Challah

4.76 from 25 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
resting time 4 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes
Servings 24 slices
Calories 100
Easy to make, this 100% whole grain challah is sweetened only with honey. A delicious challah that also makes an outstanding French toast!

Ingredients

  • 156 grams warm water (⅔ cup)
  • 6 grams active dry yeast or instant yeast (2 teaspoons)
  • 3 egg yolks (at room temperature)
  • 43 grams oil (neutral, such as canola, vegetable, sunflower (3 Tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon))
  • 85 grams honey (¼ cup)
  • 378 grams whole grain spelt flour (2¾ cups)
  • 7 grams salt (1¼ teaspoons)
  • 1 egg (beaten (egg wash))

Instructions 

  • Pour water into mixing bowl of electric mixer. Cover with yeast and about ½ teaspoon of the honey. Stir gently to hydrate the yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to get foamy. (If using instant yeast, skip this step and mix your yeast and water in with everything else in the next step.)
  • Add the yolks, oil, honey, and spelt flour. With the dough hook attachment, knead the mixture for about 3-4 minutes until the dough is formed. You may need to turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. Decrease the mixer speed to low and slowly add the salt a little at a time, allowing each portion to knead into the dough a bit before adding more. Increase the speed and continue kneading for 3-5 minutes. The dough, which will be slightly sticky, should pass the windowpane test, meaning if you take a small piece of it and stretch it between your fingers, it should be translucent without ripping.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 3 hours, until the dough has doubled in size.
  • Fold the dough over itself to gently deflate it. Divide dough into as many portions for the type of braid you are making. If making two smaller challahs, divide the dough in half and then divide each half into the number of portions needed for braiding. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle it with a little more spelt flour.
  • Shape challah as desired. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 1¼ - 1½ hours. The challah should be puffy.
  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Apply egg wash. Bake 25-30 minutes. The internal temperature should be between 190° F – 200° F.

Notes

For a darker exterior, just use an egg yolk for the egg wash. To lighten that up a drop, add 1-2 teaspoons of water to the yolk.
For a lighter exterior, beat a whole egg with 1-2 teaspoons of water.
Calories: 100kcal
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Jewish
Keyword: challah, spelt, whole grain

Nutrition

Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 9mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg