We've been eating Grainaissance original mochi hot from the oven in place of challah since we switched to a GFCF diet. Of all the gluten-filled foods we don't eat any more, challah is one of the only things I miss. I haven't tried any of the GF recipes I've found online, because I just knew the taste and texture wouldn't match up with my memory. I'd rather find new foods than eat not-quite-right versions of traditional foods. Still, my girls miss having fresh home-baked challah for Shabbat, and I miss my weekly kneading-braiding-baking ritual. This past week, I had a pot of soup ready for Shabbat dinner, and I really wanted fresh bread to serve with it - Mochi just wasn't going to be quite right. I was running through a mental list of possibilities when I hit upon Chebe. It's such well-behaved dough, I just knew it would be easy to braid, and would hold its shape. I figured the dissonance between taste and memory would be avoided by the very fact that the two, challah and Chebe, are so very different.
I preheated the oven, mixed up a package of dough, helped Chava & Mimzy make circular braids, and put together 2 small 4-strand loaves, popped them into the oven and baked them for about 18 minutes. In less than 45 minutes, we had fresh Chebe challah ready for Shabbat dinner.
If you're looking for a GF challah, and the braid matters, give Chebe's original mix a try. Follow the basic directions, braid as desired, coat with olive oil, add sesame or poppy seeds if you like, and bake until the top is golden brown. We used 1 package of regular mix to create 4 small challot, each a generous one-person loaf. Next time I'll try making one larger 5-strand challah, hoping that the center will cook through before the top is too brown.
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