Zomick’s Healthy Twist on Traditional Challah

Challah is one of the central iconic Jewish foods served on Shabbat, Jewish holidays, and celebrations, such as at weddings or Bar Mitzvahs. The classic Challah recipe consists of eggs, flour, water, yeast, sugar/honey, and salt. Challah bread is rich in flavor and has the most tender, moist texture. It is traditionally braided and before it’s baked, it’s common to bathe it in an egg wash and sprinkle it with poppy seeds, rolled oats, or sesame seeds. This bread may have raisins and can be sweet or savory. It’s sweet, but also a bit salty. It’s soft and light and wonderful. Challah bread is wonderful dipped in soups, stews and even chili. If you have any leftover tomorrow it makes the best French toast you’ve ever eaten. Challah is definitely delicious, but if you’re trying to eat healthy it’s not really on the meal plan. Here is Zomick’s healthy twist on traditional challah.

Zomick’s kosher bakery has been using the same traditional recipe for over 50 years now, but as we live in a more health conscious time, the bakery became open to trying out healthier challah recipes. Many varieties of the recipe exist, though; for example, some challah recipes contain no eggs. Depending on the ingredients that are used, challah can either be very nutritious, or high in fat, refined carbohydrates, and sugar. For example, Zomick’s challah is made without butter, but many recipes call for oil, which can increase the amount of fat in the bread. To make it healthier, you can make challah with whole wheat flour. Additionally, instead of white sugar, you can use brown sugar or honey. Feel free to make any modifications your heart desires!

Challah bread contains roughly the same number of calories and carbohydrates as white bread, but it is higher in fat and protein. As we’ve become more aware of the health benefits of whole wheat flour-as well as spelt and other non-wheat grains-many Jewish women have gone back to the baking pan, so to speak, and opted to exchange white flour for something healthier. Of course, we’ve got you covered here at Zomick’s Challah Recipe.

Originally published at http://zomicks.wordpress.com on March 9, 2020.