Let's Discuss: Why Does My Challah Split?

by Dina Levy | November 09, 2017 | 15 comment(s)

Here’s our three challah tips. Now let’s hear yours!

Challah, our favorite. But so many factors go into making challah as great as it is.

I followed directions and kneaded the dough really well. I didn’t use extra flour and the challah still split. What went wrong?

From doing some research these seem the three main causes.

Renee Muller wrote this tip in her post about baking the best whole wheat challah:

“I like to knead the dough for a good 10 minutes. Once those 10 minutes are up, I turn off the machine, count to 20 (exactly the time needed to line a large bowl with a plastic bag, and spray the inside of the bag with cooking spray — see the next note if you are raising your eyebrows in wonder), and then run the machine again, for 5-10 seconds longer. This is a little trick I learned along the way from one of the many challah gurus out there. It helps stabilize the dough gluten so that your challos won’t “blow up” in the oven and fall apart all over the place (ever had that happen? It’s so upsetting!!).”

The oven temperature is too high, resulting in a dry oven where the challah “grows” too fast. You can easily fix this by placing an oven thermometer in your oven to make sure it’s calibrated correctly.
The temperature of house, draft, and a temperature drop where you are rising the dough can also make a difference. Let the dough rise in a warm, dry area.

Please comment below with your experiences and tips!

Dina Levy

Reader Interactions

Comments

Gitty W says
November 9, 2017 at 8:51 pm
What does it mean if the dough splits while it’s rising? Before it’s put into the oven?
Reply
shulamis says
November 9, 2017 at 9:07 pm
I’ve noticed that if I let the dough rise too long the challah will split.
Reply
Suri says
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November 9, 2017 at 11:39 pm
Split challah??!! The most beautiful sight to my eye and mind! It means a happy fluffy challah, airy and bursting at the seams! I am positively ecstatic when my challas”pull”. It means they will taste simply perfect!
Reply
Dinah says
November 10, 2017 at 12:05 am
I think you have to let the dough rest between each step. Every time you work with the dough it needs a chance to sit for 15 minutes. That’s what I do and usually doesn’t happen. And if it does, I have yet to see someone refuse a slice ????
Would love to hear “queen of challah” rochi pinsons take… !!
Reply
Chani says
November 10, 2017 at 7:33 am
If the challah splits in the oven it’s usually because it didn’t rise long enough after shaping . That s my experience
Reply
rochie pinson says
November 10, 2017 at 7:40 am
Hi Dinah 🙂 I will.chime in! I certainly agree that every challah is beautiful, split or not split. But it can be frustrating to spend time making a beautiful braid only to have it split apart In the oven. The reason it splits is the sudden change of temperature. If you’re Rising the braids in a warm kitchen and then put into the preheated oven, (not more than 350… Higher heat can cause split) your braids should stay nice. 🙂 Good luck and happy challah baking!
Reply
Ruthie Mayerfeld says
November 11, 2017 at 8:28 pm
All challahs are beautiful. The reason for challah splitting is because there is too much dough for the the size pan. The challah needs space to grow.
See Also
The SECRET to Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries | Say Goodbye to Limp & Soggy Fries
Reply
Gittel says
November 11, 2017 at 10:09 pm
my challahs never split. maybe the reason is because i do not preheat my oven.
Reply
R. Adler says
November 12, 2017 at 5:17 am
If you read any books on bread and about gluten development you will learn about autolyse. In laymen terms it means letting the dough develop its gluten bonds before kneading. It works really well to make an elastic dough that when baked is not crumby but instead has nice long strands of connected bread. This is why I prefer the traditional autolyse method of mixing my challah until just combined THEN wait 20 minutes and after THAT knead the dough for ten minutes (for good measure the salt goes in after the 20 minutes wait.) I think this method would work better that kneading it fully and then after 20 minutes mixing it again.
Reply
Silky says
November 13, 2017 at 7:06 am
My observation is the same as Gittel. My challos never split. After reading what Rochel Pinson wrote I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe that’s due to the fact that I put them into a cold oven and heat it up once the challos are inside.
I did, however, have many instances where the challos rose beautifully only to shrink in the oven. Time to try the traditional autolyse method. Thank you R. Adler!
Reply
Hadassa says
April 27, 2022 at 8:27 pm
I think my challah only “splits” in the oven when I don’t let it rise fully a second time after shaping ….
I haven’t had the other issues
Reply
Chayala says
April 27, 2022 at 8:28 pm
My challah strands tear while they are rising after braiding. Not in the oven. My dough is delish and fluffy and then they tear:( like while I’m braiding the other challahs. So I don’t let them rise once theyr all braided and the last few I make actually don’t tear.
Reply
Esther says
April 14, 2023 at 9:52 am
The dough is either too hard , ( not moist enough) or one didn’t let it rise enough. If the consistency of the dough is right, they shouldn’t crack in the oven.
Reply
R says
May 2, 2024 at 5:31 pm
My mother in law noticed that when she baked challah with the children theirs wouldn’t split while hers did. She realized that the children braided the strands much looser while she pulled them tight. When she tried a loser braid they stopped splitting.
Reply
- Shayna says
  May 6, 2024 at 11:29 pm
  So sweet and very interesting. i always thought it was the opposite. I thought my challah fell apart when my husband cut it because it wasnt braided tight enough. Love everyone’s input and experiences
  Reply

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Let's Discuss: Why Does My Challah Split? - Between Carpools (2024)

FAQs

How to stop challah from splitting? ›

1) If your challah splits or cracks in the oven, it's a sign of underproofing (purely cosmetic – I actually thought it looked pretty awesome!). To avoid this, proof the loaf until you can poke it with you finger and the indent remains.

Get More Info ›

Why do we separate the challah? ›

Today, since the kohanim are not clean from such spiritual impurity, the challah is not given to the kohain. The dough, however, is forbidden to be eaten until the challah is separated. Therefore, challah is separated and burned, to assure that it will not be eaten.

View Details ›

Why does my challah have stretch marks? ›

It shouldn't deflate in the oven unless it was over-proofed. How can I avoid part of the surface from splitting open while baking? I call them stretch marks. To prevent these, you have to let your dough rise long enough outside of the oven before you put it in.

Keep Reading ›

How do you keep bread from splitting? ›

Stretch out the gluten strands in the dough

Gluten acts as the structure and scaffold of your final loaf. When you stretch and shape the dough, you create tension in this gluten network that supports the shape of the dough as it rises and bakes, preventing weak spots that can lead to splitting.

Know More ›

How do you keep dough from separating? ›

For the dough, here are some tips:

Increase its hydration to have a softer dough.
Reduce the time and dosage of your pre-fermentations.
If your dough is too short: use a young fermented dough or cool the sourdough.
Don't degass your dough too much when shaping.
Remove the rounding to the shape.

Nov 2, 2023

Read On ›

Why is my bread separating? ›

The dough was either too wet or too dry, The slashing of the dough wasn't sufficient or you didn't do it, Under proofing, Shaping and the skin tension.

What happens if you let challah rise too long? ›

Usually if it overrose just a bit, say, for an hour extra in a cold kitchen, it doesnt really matter. You simply punch it back down and go on to the shaping. However, if the dough is left out for a long time, unrefrigerated, it can spoil, especially in the summertime.

Keep Reading ›

How many cups of flour to separate challah? ›

Separate challah without a brocha when using flour weighing between 1.23kg and 1.67kg (between approximately 8 to 12 cups of unsifted flour or 9 and 15 cups of sifted flour). Separate challah with a brocha when using flour weighing more than 1.67kg (approximately 12cups of unsifted flour or 15 cups of sifted flour) .

Know More ›

Why do Jews put salt on challah? ›

Why? So the challah can be dipped right after the beracha is recited. The Mishnah Berurah (167:27) explains that dipping in salt or condiments makes the first bite tasty and adds honor to the beracha.

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What does the Bible say about challah bread? ›

In the Bible, challah is the portion of bread that is set aside and given to the priests to eat (Numbers 15:19-20). The mitzvah of separating challah applies to the five grains, wheat, barley, spelt, oats and rye. The rabbis calculate that more than 1.75 kg of dough baked at one time must have challah taken from it.

Discover More ›

What happens if you overproof challah? ›

Again, the slower the rise, the more flavor your dough will develop. Be careful not to over proof your loaves; if they proof too much, the air bubbles get too big, causing them to pop and then deflate in the oven.

Explore More ›

Can I let my challah dough rise overnight? ›

Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a thin layer of oil and cover with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest and rise for 8–10 hours—overnight is perfect!

Find Out More ›

Why does my challah tear? ›

The oven temperature is too high, resulting in a dry oven where the challah “grows” too fast. You can easily fix this by placing an oven thermometer in your oven to make sure it's calibrated correctly. The temperature of house, draft, and a temperature drop where you are rising the dough can also make a difference.

Get More Info ›

Why does my bread dough split when rising? ›

If the dough was too dry it can form a crust too early before it's had time to rise, then when it begins to rise it forms cracks which then burst in odd places when the pressure builds up. Steam is important in this stage of baking of some breads like sourdoughs so it's a good thing to try and use steam.

Get More Info Here ›

Let's Discuss: Why Does My Challah Split? - Between Carpools (2024)