My good friend Aviva is in rabbinical school. Aviva writes a fantastic blog about her rabbinical school journey called Becoming Rabbi, which you can read by clicking here. I’m currently in LA visiting family and friends, and Aviva and I decided that we would catch up while making loaves of the traditional Jewish Sabbath bread challah. Aviva lives in Bel-Air, a gorgeous neighborhood in Los Angeles made famous by The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. I’m currently living in West Philly so visiting Aviva at her beautiful Bel-Air home to make challah seemed especially appropriate!
Aviva is a whiz at making all kinds of challah. She knows how to craft perfect loaves of crunchy yet gooey raw vegan challah (we worked together at the raw vegan retreat center, where Aviva honed her craft), traditional (non-vegan) challah, and glutenous vegan challah, but never before had Aviva made (cooked) gluten-free vegan challah!
We were both up for the challenge and spent several hours making the bread and waiting for it to rise while gabbing, catching up with her wonderful hubby, listening to music (Aviva always has the latest and coolest mixes), and just enjoying the spirit of making Shabbos bread. Here’s the recipe we used, adapted from several challah recipes to include our gluten-free twist. I hope you enjoy making it and sharing it with loved ones, whether you celebrate Shabbat or just want some seriously awesome gluten-free vegan bread!
Gluten Free Vegan Challah
(Serves 6-8)
The braided challot prior to heading to the oven.
Ingredients:
Dough part 1:
2 1/2 tsp gluten-free rapid rise yeast
1 cup warm water
4 1/4 cups gluten-free flour
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar, xylitol or regular raw sugar
1 tsp salt
4 Tbs canola oil
Dough Part 2 (Egg substitute):
3 Tbs canola oil
3 Tbs warm water
2 tsp baking powder
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour the yeast into the water along with a pinch of sugar in a large bowl. Mix these until well combined. Let the mixture rest for a couple minutes until bubbly and creamy. Add the sugar, salt, and additional 2 Tbs of canola oil and mix. Beat the “Dough Part 2″ egg replacement ingredients with a whisk until it fizzes and pour this into the yeast mixture. Add the flour, one cup at a time, until the mixture is thick and difficult to stir. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it until it is springy and elastic (about 5-10 minutes).
The ingredients for “Dough Part 2″ work as the binding agent or “egg”. Add part 2 to part 1 right before you mix the flour. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a slightly damp cloth or plastic wrap and set in a warm place for an hour and a half. After this, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and separate the dough into equal portions, depending on how many challot you care to make. We made 4 pieces and 4 challot. Divide each piece into 3 pieces and roll out into 3 equal-sized strands. Pinch the ends together and braid the dough.Place on a baking sheet or greased pan and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy! 
Aviva and I, holding our freshly baked gluten-free vegan challah!
Oh, I am THRILLED that you came up with this recipe! Though I’m not Jewish, I attended a Jewish day camp from the ages of 4 to 15 and have always longed to call myself a Jew. Every friday at camp, we would celebrate Shabbat by singing, lighting candles, and enjoying challah (not vegan OR gluten-free, though). I’m so excited to bring back some childhood memories!!!
Ha, that’s so awesome that you went to Jewish camp. I went to Christian camp, hilarious…
Yes, make this challah and bring back the good times!
At Vassar one of the fight hunger activist groups (name is escaping me) used to make vegan “challah for hunger” do they still do that? xoxo
HA! What a fantastic coincidence. Yes, there is still the Challah for Hunger group around! I think they just call themselves that, but I doubt the challah is vegan. I should ask…
“In my day” (ohhh dear I feel old) they only made vegan challah once in a while. I can ask my friend Rachel how they did it and if she has a recipe? xoxo
That’d be awesome! I will definitely email whomever runs the group and ask them to make some vegan challah every so often.
NIce ladies!! I was just looking for my gluten free recipe that I make most Fridays with my daughter. I have also used for the dough part 2 soaked flax seeds, about 2 or 3 Tablespoons. Also use raw honey instead of the sugar and have added cocoa nibs or unsweetened carob chips. Divine!!
we miss you two lovelies here, so nice to see you together on Shabbat! xx lori
oh what a cool twist! thanks for the tip. hope all is well, Lori!
Cruelty-free challah made by awesome jewish gals? What could be better! Great braiding skillz, too
thanks baby! i’ll make you challah any time!
I’m sorry if i managed to miss it somewhere in the post, but which flour blend did you use for this recipe? The loaves look amazing!
Hi Melissa, I just used a standard store-bought gluten-free flour multi-blend. You could experiment if you have a favorite kind.
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I just tried your recipe and the dough didn’t rise. How much bigger was the dough supposed to get? So bummed….
oh really? hmm. did the finished product turn out ok?
Hi Ellynne, so my friend Aviva (who helped me make the challah) said: It’s possible her yeast was old. The dough should double in size. I’d encourage her to try again with fresh yeast!!”
Hope that helps!
I was wondering if the flour blend was to have xanthum gum in it or should the blend be xanthum/guar gum free?