Vered's Israeli Cooking

Koylitsh challah for Purim

Vered Guttman
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Koylitsh (or koilitch, or koylitch) is the Yiddish name of a long challah, can be twice as long of a regular one, that’s rich with eggs. It is prepared for Purim, sometimes decorated with candies as in this recipe, and for weddings too, where it is presented to the married couple – and I know that first hand, because my beloved grandmother, Rachel Shraga z”l, made a beautiful one for me and my husband.

My grandmother, mother and husband with a koylitsh challah

The Purim Koylitsh is basically the same. It should be rich with eggs and sometimes with raisins too. Since the mitzvah of Seudat Purim (the meal or feast of Purim) does not require the double bread (Lechem Mishneh) as on Shabbat, one large challah is enough.

A fun fact is that in some communities the challah is also decorated with chocolates and candies. Who can resist that? It’s interesting to note, that the Russians and Ukrainians are making a bread called kulich for Easter (which is celebrated around the same time as Purim,) and there’s an Easter bread that is called kolach in the Czech Republic. The breads are not similar to the koylitsh challah, only their names are, but the kulich is decorated with little sprinkles or candy, just like the koylitsh for Purim is. There may be an influence here.

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Koylitsh challah for Purim

Recipe by Vered GuttmanCourse: Pastries u0026amp; BreadsCuisine: Ashkenazi, Jewish, IsraeliDifficulty: Medium
Yields

1

Very large challah
Prep time

25

minutes
Baking time

30

minutes
Rising time

2

hours 
Total time

2

hours 

55

minutes

Koylitsh (or koilitch, or koylitch) is the Yiddish name of a long challah, can be twice as long of a regular one, that’s rich with eggs. It is traditionally prepared for Purim and for weddings.

I highly recommend using SAF Instant yeast (it’s available online and can keep for months in the fridge.)
When using instant yeast, you should skip the process of proofing the yeast.
If you’re using active dry yeast, start the recipe by proofing the yeast and continue as usual.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1½ lb. All purpose flour, plus more for dusting

  • 1 tablespoon yeast (see note above)

  • ¾ cup sugar

  • 3 eggs at room temperature

  • 1 cup warm water or milk

  • 6 tablespoons oil or soft butter

  • 1 teaspoons salt

  • for the topping

  • 1 egg

  • 3-4 tablespoons sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

  • If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST, skip to instruction number 4.
  • If you’re using INSTANT YEAST, make the dough using a stand mixer with the dough hook. Put flour and yeast in the mixer’s bowl and mix with a fork. Add sugar, then turn mixer on medium-low speed and mix for a minute. Add eggs and milk and continue to mix for about 2 minutes, until well incorporated. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape the flour from the sides using a spatula and continue to mix. With mixer on medium-low, add butter, a tablespoon at a time, then salt. Knead for 8 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides as needed.
  • Skip to instruction number 5.
  • If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST you need to proof it first. Put the milk, yeast and a teaspoon of sugar in a glass and stir briefly. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it visibly foams.
    Put flour in the bowl and make a well in the center. To the well add yeast mixture, the rest of the sugar and egg and mix for about 3 minutes on medium-low speed, until well incorporated. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape the flour from the sides using a spatula and continue to mix. Add butter, a tablespoon at a time, then add salt. Turn speed to medium-low and mix for 8 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides as needed. The dough is very soft, but don’t be tempted to add more flour into in.
  • Remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a spatula, transfer dough into a lightly greased large bowl (I use PAM spray,) cover in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature, preferably in a warm space (near the oven, for example) until dough almost doubles its size, about 1½ hours.
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (if the challah comes out too long, you may want to bake it on a few layers of aluminum foil, lined with parchment paper.)
  • These instructions are for a 3 strands challah. Alternatively, you can make a 6 strand challah, since the dough is large enough. See excellent instructions here.
    Lightly flour working surface. Divide dough into 3 equal parts and roll them into balls. Use a lightly dusted rolling pin to roll each dough ball into a 15 Inch long rectangle, with the long side close to you and roll it up to a rope. Repeat with the other 2 dough balls. If the dough seems to shrink when you roll it to rectangle, let it rest for another ten minutes, covered, before you continue.
  • Now roll the ropes again to extend them to about 24 inch long with thick center and very thin ends.
  • To braid the challahs, Braid the 3 strands. It’s easier to control the shape if you start braiding from the center down, then flip the braid and continue braiding to the other end, as shown in the photos.
  • Transfer challah to the baking sheet , cover with kitchen towels and let stand until it is almost double in size, about 30-45 minutes.
  • Oven to 350 degrees.
  • Brush challah with beaten egg and sprinkle generously with sprinkles.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes or until challah is baked through and golden on top.
  • Cool on a cooling rack. Keep any leftover challah well wrapped at room temperature.
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