GRP's Holiday Recipe: Challah French Toast

By Catherine Schenck on December 17, 2025

Written by Kitchen Manager, Bo Martin

It’s that time of year again! The leaves have changed and (mostly) fallen, the air grows cold, and the sun is setting at 4:30 in the afternoon. Personally, I’ve always loved this season, but some folks are understandably hesitant to embrace the chill. Some of us might recall a remedy to this that made the rounds online a few years ago thanks to our friends in Scandinavia: hygge. While there’s not a direct translation in English, hygge basically boils down to a sort of emotional or spiritual coziness. It’s reaching over a curled-up dog to throw another log on the fire, it’s hugging a family member you haven’t seen in months after a long road trip, and in the words of the best holiday movie of all time (A Muppet Christmas Carol, and I will hear no argument): “A part of childhood we’ll always remember / It is the summer of the soul in December.”

Now, I’ve said something similar before, and I’ll keep saying it for the rest of my days, but the very heart and soul of any community is sharing food, which may be doubly true for the holiday season. So without further ado, I present a recipe inspired by the two things that brought you here today: the GRP camp spirit, and holiday hygge.

Challah French Toast

Ingredients

For the challah:

  • 500g all-purpose flour (about 4 cups)
  • 1 packet active dry yeast (about 1.75 teaspoons or 5g)
  • 1.5 teaspoons plus .25 cups (50g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • .25 cup vegetable or olive oil (60g)
  • 1.5 teaspoons table salt (9g, about 2 teaspoons if using kosher salt)
  • 1 cup lukewarm water

Berry Sauce:

  • 2 cups of your favorite berries (frozen is fine)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons water, divided
  • 1.5 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1-2 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Toast Frenching Mix:

  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cups cream, half & half, or milk (if using a dairy alternative, I recommend oat milk)
  • .5 tsp nutmeg
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • .25 cups powdered sugar
  • Butter for the pan

Preparation:

Make the challah:

  • Rehydrate the yeast with 1.5 tsp sugar in the water for 5-10 minutes or until foamy
  • Whisk oil into the yeast mixture, then gently beat in two eggs, one at a time. Whisk in remaining sugar and salt.
  • Gradually add the flour until the dough holds together, then knead until smooth, about 5 minutes by hand. Feel free to use a stand mixer with a dough hook, but cut kneading time to 1-2 minutes.
  • Grease a medium-large bowl with oil and place kneaded dough inside, and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Let it rise until doubled in size, about one hour, depending on temperature and elevation.
  • When the dough has doubled in size, punch it down, re-cover, and let rise for another 30 minutes.
  • Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Roll each ball into a strand about a foot long, evenly thick along the entire length. Lay each strand next to and parallel with each other, and pinch the “top” ends together.
  • This is where things get a little complicated, but stick with it, I believe in you! If you’re a visual learner like myself, there are many video tutorials for braiding challah online. Let’s do this. Cross the rightmost strand over all the others so that it is on the far left. Cross the original leftmost strand (now second to the left) all the way over so that it is now all the way on the right. Bring the leftmost strand over the two strands to its right, so that it is in the center. Cross the strand that is now second from the right over to the far left. Bring the rightmost strand over the two to its left, so that it is in the center. Bring the second strand from the left all the way over to the right. You’ll see the pattern forming, and just repeat this process until you’re out of dough!
  • To finish the braid, pinch all loose ends together and tuck under the loaf as much as you can. Let it rise for another hour.
  • Beat the third egg and brush over the loaf, then place it on a baking sheet with parchment paper into the middle of a preheated 375 degree oven.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden, then cool on a rack.

Make the berry sauce:

  • Place the berries, sugar, salt, and 3 tablespoons of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
  • Lower the heat until the sauce is simmering, stirring occasionally, for 5-8 minutes.
  • Combine the remaining 2 teaspoons of water and cornstarch in a small bowl and add to the sauce, simmering for another minute or so, until the sauce thickens.
  • Remove from the heat, and add lemon juice to taste.

French the toast:

  • In a wide bowl or baking dish, whisk the eggs and vanilla together until smooth, then whisk in your chosen dairy, nutmeg, cinnamon, and powdered sugar.
  • Preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium–low heat until a drop of water on the surface dances around before boiling off.
  • Slice the challah into 1-inch(ish) slices, and dip as many as will fit on your cooking surface into the dairy and egg mix. Allow it to soak in for a minute, then flip and repeat on the other side.
  • Place the soaked slices on the hot pan or griddle and cook until browned, about 2 or 3 minutes, then flip and repeat. Feel free to play around with the heat level if things are going too slow or fast.
  • Transfer to plate, dust with powdered sugar, throw some berry sauce on there, and enjoy!
Catherine Schenck
Catherine Schenck

Catherine is Executive Director at Green River Preserve. When she is not in full summer camp or SEE (School of Environmental Education) mode, she is exploring the trails and trout streams of WNC. During programs you can find her driving buses, lifeguarding at the dock, eating meals with campers, or running around with her dog Rosco. She tries to resist disrupting fly fishing classes with celebratory whoops of “fish on” when a camper hooks a fish, but is not often successful.