Comments on: Challah http://leitesculinaria.com/7161/recipes-challah.html This James Beard Award-winning site from David Leite offers food writing, cookbook and Portuguese recipes, giveaways, more. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:47:48 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Testers Choice http://leitesculinaria.com/7161/recipes-challah.html#comment-9176 Testers Choice Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:16:28 +0000 http://leitesculinaria.com/wordpress/?p=7161#comment-9176 [Linda Pacchiano] This is a great recipe for Challah that’s extremely easy to make. Mixing the ingredients in a stand mixer works well. The dough turned out perfect, and I didn’t need to add any extra flour. In fact, it was a lot less sticky than some of the other bread doughs that I make. Make sure to stop the mixer once or twice as needed to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. When you restart the mixer, the dough will come together again almost immediately. I let it rise the first time for the full two hours, and that was just right. After making the six pieces for the braid, there is a second rise, and the 30-minute timing for that was also spot-on. My kitchen temperature was running about 70°F. If your kitchen is cooler, you may need to extend the rising period somewhat. The end result is one of the most beautiful Challah I have seen. The exterior is a rich, dark golden brown and the crumb is light, moist, and flavorful. It would be very easy for a beginner to make this loaf. The part that gets a little tricky is the braiding. I think I missed one of the moves because I was in a hurry, but I didn’t take it apart to redo (which the recipe suggests), and it still looked fantastic. I took the liberty of adding sesame seeds after egg washing. Adding poppy seeds or leaving it plain is also acceptable. If you find the six-strand braid too complicated, then try using three strands, which is done like braiding someone’s hair. I was concerned about not having an additional rise after braiding, as other recipes for Challah instruct, but judging from the way my loaf turned out, it was not at all necessary. You’re on your own to figure out how to bake the Challah after it’s braided. Do you use a pan, a sheet pan, a cookie sheet, or a baking stone? I used my baking stone brushed with a little oil, but a cookie sheet or sheet pan oiled or lined with a Silpat or parchment paper would also work fine. Be sure to brush the egg wash into the crevices between the braids so your loaf will have an even shine after baking. If I’m making Challah for a special occasion, I’ll add a little more egg wash to the crevices midway thought baking, after the loaf has started to rise. You should be able to serve more than six with this recipe—it makes a fairly large loaf. [Linda Pacchiano] This is a great recipe for Challah that’s extremely easy to make. Mixing the ingredients in a stand mixer works well. The dough turned out perfect, and I didn’t need to add any extra flour. In fact, it was a lot less sticky than some of the other bread doughs that I make. Make sure to stop the mixer once or twice as needed to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. When you restart the mixer, the dough will come together again almost immediately. I let it rise the first time for the full two hours, and that was just right. After making the six pieces for the braid, there is a second rise, and the 30-minute timing for that was also spot-on. My kitchen temperature was running about 70°F. If your kitchen is cooler, you may need to extend the rising period somewhat.

The end result is one of the most beautiful Challah I have seen. The exterior is a rich, dark golden brown and the crumb is light, moist, and flavorful. It would be very easy for a beginner to make this loaf. The part that gets a little tricky is the braiding. I think I missed one of the moves because I was in a hurry, but I didn’t take it apart to redo (which the recipe suggests), and it still looked fantastic. I took the liberty of adding sesame seeds after egg washing. Adding poppy seeds or leaving it plain is also acceptable. If you find the six-strand braid too complicated, then try using three strands, which is done like braiding someone’s hair. I was concerned about not having an additional rise after braiding, as other recipes for Challah instruct, but judging from the way my loaf turned out, it was not at all necessary.

You’re on your own to figure out how to bake the Challah after it’s braided. Do you use a pan, a sheet pan, a cookie sheet, or a baking stone? I used my baking stone brushed with a little oil, but a cookie sheet or sheet pan oiled or lined with a Silpat or parchment paper would also work fine.

Be sure to brush the egg wash into the crevices between the braids so your loaf will have an even shine after baking. If I’m making Challah for a special occasion, I’ll add a little more egg wash to the crevices midway thought baking, after the loaf has started to rise. You should be able to serve more than six with this recipe—it makes a fairly large loaf.

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