This method of shaping challah rolls is so easy, but also striking and beautiful. All you do is twist up a single strand, then roll it into a spiral.
This post is part of my Complete Guide to Baking Challah.
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Dividing challah dough for rolls
It will depend on how small or big you'd like your rolls to be, but for medium, sandwich-sized rolls, I like to divide a standard portion of challah dough (the would make one loaf) into eight equal pieces for challah rolls. Knotted rolls will make more dinner roll type rolls, while the other two shaping methods will create wider-bottomed rolls that can be sliced in half for spreading or filling.
Making the twist
The twisted spiral challah roll starts off similarly to the knotted one, with rolling a strand and folding it in half, doubling it over itself:
Next, you'll take the two ends and, beginning at the top, twist one around the other:
Forming the roll
After twisting as firmly as you can, begin rolling the twist in a spiral:
Tuck the end firmly under and your twisted spiral roll is complete:
How long to bake challah rolls
Challah rolls need to bake for a much shorter time than regular loaves, of course, so if you are baking them alongside loaves, remember to check them separately and take them out after about 18-20 minutes, or half the baking time of a standard loaf of challah. It's easy to forget and leave them in with the loaves, but they'll end up really dried out. If you take care to bake them for the short time, challah rolls will come out feathery and delicious.
A few challah recipes to get your started
You can shape any challah dough into rolls. Here are a few possibilities:
- Start with the classic, perfect challah dough.
- Raisin challah is traditionally made round, so a batch of this would be perfect for roll-izing around Rosh haShanah time.
- Chocolate chip challah is always a good idea.
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