Whole Wheat Maple Challah - AKA The Canadian Braid
Author: 
Recipe type: Bread
Cuisine: Jewish, Canadian, Challah
 
This challah is sweet, soft and just delicious. Made with whole wheat flour but tastes so much better that just any other whole wheat challah. It has a sweet after taste and of course a fantastic smell.
Ingredients
  • 500 gr Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 Tbsp Dry Yeast
  • 3 Tbsp White Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
  • ⅓ Cup Vegetable Oil (not olive oil)
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 Cup Water
For the Glaze:
  • 4 Tbsp Maple Syrup
  • 2 Tbsp Lukewarm Water
Instructions
  1. Place the flour, yeast, sugar, maple, oil and salt in a stand mixer bowl (or large mixing bowl if doing by hand).
  2. Add in ½ cup lukewarm water and using your dough hook, start mixing on low speed.
  3. Once it starts incorporating, gradually add in the remaining ½ cup water white mixing.
  4. Now increase the mixing speed by just a bit and let the mixer do its thing. Mix for about 4 minutes.
  5. The dough should now be fully incorporated, separated from the bowl and wrapped around the dough hook.
  6. Remove the dough from the hook and knead by hand a few times.
  7. Shape as ball and place back in the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
  8. Let the dough rest and rise until it doubles its size (about 1 hour).
  9. After the dough had doubled its size, remove it from the bowl and divide into the the number of strands you'd like to make your challah with (I made it with 4 so divided the dough into 4 pieces).
  10. Roll each piece of dough into a strand. Pinch all strands together before shaping (you don't want the braid to open while baking).
  11. Once done shaping, place the braided challah on a baking sheet layered with parchment paper and cover with a clean kitchen towel and set a side.
  12. Let the challah rest and rise again. This should take about 40 minutes now.
  13. Preheat oven to 190C (375F) and after 40 minutes, remove the towel and gently place the challah in the oven for baking.
  14. Bake 20 minutes until it's nice and brown.
  15. While the challah is in the over prepare the glaze by simply placing the maple syrup and water in a small saucepan and heating on medium heat while stirring, until it start to boil. Remove from heat immediately.
  16. After 20 minutes, remove the challah from the oven (you'll know it's ready if when you tap on it you hear a hollow sound) and immediately brush with the maple glaze (while the challah is still hot).
  17. Let the challah cool completely & enjoy.
Recipe by Maya`s Kitchen at https://www.mayaskitchen.info/2015/01/30/whole-wheat-maple-challah-aka-the-canadian-braid/