It’s round challah season people! Celebrate Rosh Hashanah with this Sweet Crumble Topped Challah. It is traditional to shape challah into a circle for the Jewish New Year. A round challah has no end, symbolizing our wish for a year in which life and blessings continue without end. This round beauty also incorporates a sweet crumble topping, symbolizing our desire for a sweet new year. This year, more than ever, we need some sweetness.
The shaping of this round Sweet crumble Topped Challah looks complicated, but it’s actually one of the simpler braids I have tried. I learned how to do it from @challahprince over on Instagram. He created it with a sesame seed topping. I swapped out my crumble topping. Flour, brown sugar, turbinado sugar for extra crunch and butter come together to form the topping. Feel free to use a plant based butter if you want to keep it dairy free.
Check out the video to see how it all comes together:
Keys to success:
- Make sure to use a scale when following my recipe. Weigh the dough it and divide by 10 to make equal sized pieces of dough for shaping. Roll each piece into a round ball. Cup your hand and roll quickly over the dough, using your palm, to form a smooth round ball. Combine balls 9 and 10 to make one larger ball. You will have 8 smaller balls and one larger ball.
- Let the balls of dough rest for about 10 minutes and then roll each ball into a rope. Start with your hands in the center and work your way out to the ends. The finished ropes should be about 14-inches in length and have slightly tapered ends. You will have eight 14-inch ropes. Roll the large ball into a 21-inch length rope.
- Roll 4 of the 14-inch ropes and the 21-inch rope in egg wash and crumble topping. The remaining 4 ropes will stay uncoated.
- After the challah has been baking for about 20 minutes, the seams will have opened up a bit, exposing more raw dough. Remove from oven and brush more egg wash on the plain ropes and more crumble topping on the crumble areas, to fill in any newly exposed dough. Continue baking.
- Egg yolks will give the plain ropes of dough a more golden burnished colour.
Sweet Crumble Topped Round Challah
This braided sweet round challah looks complicated, but it's actually not that difficult to create. The crumble topping takes this challah to the next level and is perfect for ushering in a sweet new year.
Ingredients
Challah
- 7 grams traditional active dry yeast or 1 envelope
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup warm water 115°-120°F
- 425 grams all-purpose flour
- 125 grams whole wheat flour
- 112 grams honey
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon Morton's Kosher salt
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 50 grams vegetable oil
Topping
- 113 grams butter or plant-based butter
- 150 grams brown sugar
- 50 grams turbinado sugar
- 140 grams all-purpose flour
Assembly
- 2 large eggs beaten with 2 Tablespoons water
- 2 large egg yolks
Instructions
- In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in 1 cup warm water. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for about 5 minutes, until yeast gets all bubbly.
- Make the dough in a stand mixer: Place 140 grams all-purpose flour and honey in the stand mixer bowl, fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix briefly to combine. Pour dissolved yeast mixture into machine and mix for about 1 minute. Add egg and oil and mix again for about 30 seconds. Add remaining 285 grams of all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed for about 1 minute. Switch to dough hook and knead for 8-9 minutes.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for a minute and then form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a large oiled mixing bowl. Turn dough until all sides are coated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let it rise at room temperature for about 1½-2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. A good test to see if the dough has risen enough is to insert your finger to a depth of 1 inch and wait to see if the impression remains. If the impression fills in, wait another 15 to 20 minutes to let rising continue.
- While dough is rising, prepare topping. Place ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times until crumbly. Store in fridge until needed.
- After the dough has risen, punch it down to deflate it. Divide dough it into 10 equal pieces (Do yourself a favour and weigh dough and divide by 10 to be precise). Roll each piece into a ball. Join the last 2 balls together to make one larger ball. You will have 8 smaller balls and one larger ball, for a total of 9 balls of dough. Place balls on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with a towel and let rest for about 10 minutes.
- Roll each of the smaller balls into a 14-inch-long strand with slightly tapered ends. Roll the large ball into a 21-inch strand. Lightly dust each strand in flour and place on parchment lined baking sheet so they do not stick.
- Beat eggs with water and place in a shallow baking dish. Place crumble topping in a second shallow baking dish. Dip 4 strands in egg and then in the crumble topping. Gently press topping into dough so that it sticks well. Coat the larger strand in crumble topping as well. You will have 4 plain strands and 5 crumble coated strands.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350°F. Watch this how to video on my blog for shaping instructions and form the challah. Cover the loaf with a tea towel and let rise at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Beat egg yolk with water. Using a thin brush, brush only the plain strands with the egg wash. Add a bit more crumble topping to the crumb coated strands. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and on the parts where the bread has expanded, paint any newly exposed dough with egg wash on the plain strands and fill in with more crumble topping on the expanded bits of crumb coated strands. Place challah back in the oven and bake for a further 20-25 minutes until golden brown, or until an instant read thermometer, inserted into the center of the loaf, registers 190°F. Remove challah to a wire rack and let cool before serving.
Notes
This recipe is a marriage of two different recipes. The challah recipe comes from my friend Margo. The topping part of the recipe is adapted from my sister’s cousin’s friend, Elaine. Elaine and Margo have never met, as far as I know. My sister would like to introduce them. She thinks they’d like each other. In my little cyber world, they are already great friends!
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 6gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 207mgPotassium: 91mgFiber: 2gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 258IUVitamin C: 0.04mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
So much sugar? We will all have adult-onset type II Diabetes if we follow your recipe and then go on the weight loss drugs and injections. How about starting off the New Year with HEALTHY foods and recipes??
I believe in everything in moderation. This is a once a year indulgent treat to celebrate the new year that our family looks forward to. Certainly you can celebrate the new year with a challah without all the sweetness added. Just make the recipe without the crumble topping if you would like. That is your choice. Shana Tova. Wishing you a healthy and happy new year.
Happy New Year to you!
Thanks Michelle. Hope you and the family are doing well.