Traditional Challah by Rose Levy Berenbaum.
In all the years I was growing up, I cannot remember a Friday night without loaf of challah sitting on the table and the long serrated bread knife by its side. Grandma didn't bake the challah on our Sabbath table, she bought it from a kosher bakery in the neighborhood. I remember it with fondness because of its appealingly plump four-braided symmetry, but the cottony texture was not appealing to me. I would eat one small slice drizzled with a little honey and never wanted more. Usually I ate it out of reverence for the ceremony (I remember the Hebrew prayer for bread to this day). So when I set to formulate my own challah recipe, it was only that braided appearance I was trying to duplicate. Challah is actually a brioche, with more egg and less liquid and fat. In order to add moistness and extend the shelf life, I replaced the sugar with honey, thinking that since it was so compatible as a topping I. might be appropriate as a sweetener for the dough itself. I discovered that not only did it improve the flavor, it also gave it a more golden crumb and a texture. Here then is my idea of a pareve (dairy-free) challah at its best.
TIME SCHEDULE
Dough Starter (Sponge): minimum 1 hour, maximum 24 hours
Minimum Rising Time: 10 hours
Oven Temperature: 350°F Baking Time: 45 to 55 minutes
Makes: a 14-by-6-by-4 112-inch-high loaf (a 3-braid challah will be 17 inches long) 3 pounds, 2 ounces/1415 grams
EQUIPMENT:
an 18-by-11-inch baking sheet, lightly greased with cooking spray or
oil or lined with Silpat or parchment;
a baking stone OR baking sheet
Dough Starter (Sponge)
INGREDIENTS
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (use only Gold Medal, King Arthur, or Pillsbury)
1 teaspoon instant yeast (HH's Note NOT Active Dry Yeast)
2/3 liquid cup water, at room temperature (70. to 90°F)
2 tablespoons honey
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 > Early in the morning or the night ahead, make the sponge. In a mixer bowl or other large bowl, place the flour, water, honey, and eggs. Whisk until very smooth to incorporate air, about 2 minutes. The sponge will be the consistency of a very thick batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and set aside, covered with plastic wrap.
Flour Mixture and Dough
INGREDIENTS
4 2/3 unbleached all-purpose flour (use only Gold Medal, King Arthur, or Pillsbury)
1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 Tablespoon salt
2 large eggs (cold)
1 cup corn oil
6 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoons cider vinegar
MEASURE
volume
2 > Combine the ingredients for the flour mixture and add to the sponge. Whisk the flour and the yeast. Then whisk in the salt (this keeps the yeast from coming in direct contact with the salt, which would kill it). Sprinkle this mixture on top of the sponge. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap and let it stand for 1 to 4 hours at room temperature. (During this time, the sponge will bubble through the flour mixture in places; this is fine.)
3 > Mix the dough.
Mixer Method
Add the eggs, oil, honey, and vinegar. With the dough hook, beat on medium speed (#4 if using a KitchenAid) for about 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and shiny. Lightly sprinkle some of the flour for kneading onto a counter and scrape the dough onto it. Knead the dough, adding a little flour if necessary so that it is just barely tacky (sticky). (The dough will weigh about 3 pounds 5 ounces/1504 grams.)
Hand Method
Add the eggs, oil, honey, and vinegar. With a wooden spoon or your hand, stir the mixture until the flour is moistened. Knead the dough in the bowl until it comes together, then scrape it onto a floured counter. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, just to begin to develop the gluten structure, adding as little of the extra flour as possible. Use a bench scraper to scrape the dough and gather it together as you knead it. At this point, it will be very sticky. Cover it with the inverted bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes. (This rest will make the dough less sticky and easier to handle.)
Knead the dough for 5 minutes or until it is very elastic and bounces back when pressed with a fingertip. Add a little more flour if necessary so that it is just barely tacky (sticky). (The dough will weigh about 3 pounds ounces/1504 grams.)
Both Methods
4 > Let the dough rise. On a lightly floured counter top, round the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a 4-quart dough-rising container or bowl, lightly greased with cooking spray or oil. Push down the dough and lightly spray or oil the top. Cover the container with a lid or plastic wrap. With a piece of tape, mark the side of the container at approximately where double the height of the dough would be. Allow the dough to rise (ideally at 75° to 80°F) until it has doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
Gently deflate the dough by pushing it down and give it a business letter turn. Return the dough to the container. Oil the surface again, cover, and mark where double the height would now be. (It will fill the container fuller than before because it is puffier with air.) Allow to rise a second time until doubled, about 45 minutes to an hour. Flatten the dough by pressing down on it gently, so as not to activate the gluten, making it stretchy.
5 > Shape the dough (see illustrations below).
Three-Braided Challah
Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
One at a time, roll each piece of dough under your palms into as long a rope as possible, at least 13 inches. (Keep the rest of the dough covered while you work W1:d1 each piece.) Lift the rope of dough up at one end with one hand and use the 8d1er hand to pull and stretch it gently downward to form a 15- to 16-inch-long rope, flouring your hands lightly if the dough is sticky. Taper the ends so that they are narrower than the rest of the rope, as this part of the dough tends to bunch up and be too fat.
For the most symmetrical braid, start at the middle and braid out to each end, pulling and stretching the dough slightly as you go. Moisten the ends with a little water, pinch the strands together at each end of the braid, and tuck each end under a little, then push the ends in slightly so that the loaf is about 15 inches long and wider _ me middle. Place the loaf on the prepared baking sheet.
Four-Braided Challah
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes. , One at time, roll each piece of dough under your palms into as long a rope as possible, at least 12 inches. (Keep the rest of the dough covered while you work with each piece.) Lift the rope of dough up at one end with one hand and use the other hand to pull and stretch it gently downward to form a 14- to 15-inch-Iong rope, flouring your hands lightly if the dough is sticky. Taper each end of the dough rope to about 5 inches down so that it is narrower than the rest of the rope, as this part of ilk dough tends to bunch up and be too fat.
Lay the ropes side by side on the counter, pinch them together at the tops, and braid them, pulling and stretching the dough slightly as you go. Keep pinching the ends together, as they tend to pull apart as you braid; pull the dough more as you come to the end of the braid so that it comes to more of a point. Pinch the ropes together at the end of the braid. Moisten the pinched ends with a little water to help them hold together during rising, and tuck them under a little at each end, then push the ends in a little so that the loaf is about 12 inches long by 3 inches high. Place the loaf on the prepared baking sheet.
Egg Glaze
1 lightly beaten egg
1 teaspoon water
Optional
4 teaspoonspoppy seeds
6 > Glaze the bread and let it rise. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg and water. Brush the loaf lightly with the glaze, and cover it loosely with greased
plastic wrap. Cover the egg glaze and refrigerate it. Allow the loaf to rise (ideally at 75° to 85°F) until doubled, about 1 hour. It will be 1 inch longer, 1/2 inch wider, and 3/4 inch higher.
7 > Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F 45 minutes before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on it before preheating.
8 > Glaze and bake the challah. Remove the plastic wrap and brush the challah all over with the egg glaze, going well into the crevices of the braid. Sprinkle the top wiIh the poppy seeds, if desired, tilting the pan slightly so you have access to the sides.
Quickly but gently set the baking sheet on the hot baking stone or hot baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Tent loosely with a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum . foil and continue baking for 25 to 35 minutes or until the bread is deep golden bIml"a and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean (an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center will read about 190°F).
9 > Cool the challah. Remove the pan from the oven and, using a peel or two large pancake turners, transfer the challah to a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTE The challah can be baked as two 9-inch loaves instead of one large one. Since there is less dough for each loaf, it will be easier to use the 3-strand braid (roll them m 10 to 11 inches long). Baking time will be 30 to 35 minutes, and the baked breads will measure 13 inches by 5 inches by 3 inches.
The challah can also be baked as 3 single-strand braids, using a special knotting technique (see page 75).
NOTE If you prefer to use sugar rather than honey, use 2/3 cup (4.70unces/132 and increase the water to 3/4 cup (6.2 ounces/177 grams). A 4-braid loaf made mgar will be 14 inches by 7 inches by 5 inches high.
FULL FLAVOR VARIATION (HH: This is what I did)
For best flavor development, in Step 2, allow the sponge to ferment for 1 hour at temperature, then refrigerate it for 8 to 24 hours. If using the hand mixing remove it from the refrigerator 1 hour before mixing the dough.
POINTERS FOR SUCCESS(Again, I did this. This is why I started Saturday night and baked on Monday)
If desired, for maximum flavor development, the dough can be wrapped loosely plastic wrap, placed in a 2-gallon plastic bag, and refrigerated overnight. Allow it at room temperature for 30 minutes before shaping.
The 3-braid loaf is most symmetrical if started from the center.
To prevent overbrowning, don't use a dark pan for this bread.
Shaping a Braided Loaf
A braided dough must be firm enough to hold the shape of the braid. For perfectly symmetrical strands, each piece of dough can be shaped as you do for the baguette. But a more casual approach works well too. The important part is achieving a final shape similar to the torpedo, fuller
in the center and tapered at the ends. Cut the dough into 3 or 4 equal pieces. Cover them with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.
For a rougher shape, start by rolling each piece of dough on the counter into as long a rope as possible. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered. Lift each piece of dough from one end with one hand while using the other hand to pull and stretch it gently downward to form a 15- to 16-inchlong rope, (if making a 4-strand braid, roll 14 to 15 inches long), flouring your hands lightly if the dough is sticky.
A three-strand braid is most symmetrical when you start at the middle
and then continuing braiding out to each end. It will be about 15 inches long.
If making a four-strand braid, taper the top of each dough rope to about 5 inches in so that it is narrower than the rest of the rope, as otherwise this part of the dough tends to bunch up and be too fat. Pinch the 4 ropes together at their tops and braid, pulling and stretching the dough slightly as you go. Keep pinching the ends together, as they tend to pull apart as you braid. Stretch the dough more as you come to the end of the braid so that it comes to more of a point, then pinch the strands together at the end. Moisten both pinched ends with a little water to help them hold together during rising, and tuck them under a
little, pushing the ends of the loaf together a little
so that it is fatter in the center.
And no spelling or grammar smack. OCR software is limited, and I wasn't going to type the whole thing out! Enjoy!
