Challah Bread

Challah Bread

My confidence has been building with the past few successful bread trials.  I daresay I may have been feeling a little smug.  Last night I hastily tried to throw together the ingredients to make Challah bread.  Even though the recipe clearly warned to use caution while using a standard KitchenAid mixer, I still made a huge kitchen blunder.  I gradually added cup after cup of flour to the mixer turning the machine on intermittently on slow speed to incorporate it. The 7th cup went in with no problems. However, when I emptied the eighth cup in and turned the machine on, flour flew EVERYWHERE.  During that moment I couldn't even get upset. You just have to laugh it off and move on.  I should have captured the mess on camera to show you, but I didn't.  To top things off, while I was adding the flour, I lost count at cup three. Was that three or four? AHHHH.  It's a horrible feeling knowing that you're about to screw up a recipe just because you can't count (potentially wasting 8 cups of flour!). LOL.  Luckily for me, when I thought I had added all 8 cups, the dough was way too sticky and it was obvious that it needed one more.

What else did I do to try to mess up this bread? Well,  I didn't preheat the oven to the correct temperature and had to increase the temperature while baking.  The baking gods must have been watching over, because the bread still came out beautiful despite me.  I am humbled by this experience - please don't think less of me, I really can read and count.  Although sometimes I lose my focus.  Try this recipe, I can vouch that it is foolproof!

After the first rise - bursting out of the bowl.

Punch down the dough.

Roll out into 6 strands

Pinch together strands at the top.

Braiding the strands.

Egg washed and ready to be baked.

Golden Brown Challah Bread

Close up of sliced Challah

I suggest watching a video on how to braid the strands if you've never made Challah before.

Challah Bread
Adapted from Joan Nathan as posted on Smitten Kitchen

The secrets to good challah are simple: Use two coats of egg wash to get that laquer-like crust and don’t overbake it. Joan Nathan, who this recipe is adapted from, adds that three risings always makes for the tastiest loaves, even better if one of them is slowed down in the fridge.

Time: about 1 hour, plus 2 1/2 hours’ rising
Yield: 2 loaves

1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8 to 8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and drained
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling.

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.

2. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for it, though it can be done.)

3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.

4. At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves. To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.

5. Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.

6. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.

7. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. (If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take it out when it hits an internal temperature of 190 degrees.) Cool loaves on a rack.

Note: Any of the three risings can be done in the fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed flavor. When you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature before moving onto the next step.