Challah Bread

Today: Challah Bread

I made bread Friday!  What did you do on Friday?  Was it as awesome as making bread?  I think not.

I'd like to stress that I made this bread.  Also, I combined the ingredients together to form the product of my baking efforts, which was this bread.  This bread came out of my oven because I made it.  Did I mention I made bread?

If you can't tell, I'm a little excited.  I've never made bread before.  I kind of expected my first attempt to be a disaster, which is why there are not nearly as many photos as I would normally have taken.  I thought that realistically, I would fail somehow with the yeast or with kneading it or with the amount of flour necessary for the bread to stay together, and the bread would just be a soggy reminder of my failure.  But no, look how pretty it is!  It's a masterpiece!

My house still smells like fresh bread.  It's subtle, but every time I walk back inside, I can smell it.  And then I crave this soft, slightly sweet bread with a little of my grandma's homemade jam.  So damn good.  I almost feel bad posting this because you can't have any.  Really, I know I'm torturing you just a little bit.  But then again, I don't care that much.  Not enough to stop myself from telling you that I made bread!

Have you ever had homemade bread?  If not, I urge you to try it.  It's amazing how different it is from store-bought bread.  I could eat an entire loaf right out of the oven.  In fact, I did polish off a lot of this bread yesterday.  When I'm a real adult (not likely to ever happen, but we'll see), I'm making all of my own bread.  It's just too damn good.

Recipe time!  You can make this bread with or without a standing mixer, so if you're lacking top-notch baking supplies, don't despair!  You can still have warm, delicious Challah bread fresh from the oven.  Also, this recipe makes two loaves, which I would highly recommend making, but it's up to you if you want to halve the recipe.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter.  Brush the sides of a large mixing bowl with butter, and set aside the rest of the butter for topping the bread.

Whisk 1 1/2 tablespoons yeast into 1/2 cup tepid water (80-90 degrees F).  Add a pinch of sugar and let rest until the yeast has dissolved and is creamy, about 5 minutes.

Cut 1 stick (4 ounces) butter into small pieces and toss into a small saucepan with 1 cup milk; heat until the milk is very warm to the touch and the butter has melted.  Pour the mixture into a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer and add 1/3 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, and 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar and salt.  If necessary, let the mixture cool so that it is no warmer than 110 degrees F.

Add creamy yeast to the milk mixture, along with 4 large eggs, and stir with the wooden spoon to mix.  If you have a standing mixer, attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the dough hook.  Add about 5 cups flour, and beat on low speed for 3 minutes, or until the dough starts to come together.  Beating on medium-low, add as much additional flour as needed to make a soft dough that will clean the sides of the bowl.  Knead on medium-low for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth, soft, and elastic.

If you don’t have a standing mixer, add the flour to the yeast, milk, and egg mixture, ½ cup as a time, stopping when you have a dough that cleans the sides of the bowl and is difficult to stir.  Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and the counter, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer to the buttered mixing bowl.  Brush the top with a little melted butter, cover the bowl with buttered plastic wrap, and top with a kitchen towel. 

Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in volume (rising times vary based on kitchen temperature - for faster rising, leave in a warm, but not hot, area). 

When the dough is fully risen, deflate it by gently folding it on itself a couple of times.  Cover as before, and let it rise until it doubles in bulk again, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.   Cut the dough in half and keep 1 piece of dough covered while you work with the other.

Divide the first half of the dough into 3 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a rope about 16 inches long; it should  be thick in the center and tapered at the ends.   

Align the ropes vertically, side by side, and start braiding from the center down.   

When you’ve reached the end, turn the loaf around so that the braided half is on top; braid the lower half.   

Pinch the ends to seal and tuck the ends under the loaf.   

Transfer the loaf to a prepared baking sheet and gently plump it to get it back into shape; cover with a towel.  Braid the second loaf, put it on a baking sheet, and cover.   

Let the loaves rise at room temperature for 40 minutes, or until soft, puffy, and almost doubled.

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Whisk 1 large egg, 1 large egg yolk, and 1 tablespoon heavy cream or cold water together in a small bowl until broken up, then push the glaze through a sieve.  Brush the tops and sides of the challahs with glaze; let the glaze set for 5 minutes, and brush again.  

Reserve the leftover glaze for brushing the loaves during baking.  If you’re topping the loaves, dust them with the seeds (I'd recommend the sesame seeds over poppy seeds). 

Sprinkle coarse salt over the loaves, topped or not.

Bake for 20 minutes.  The loaves will expand and expose some of the inner dough.  Brush the newly exposed dough with the reserved glaze and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the loaves are golden and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.  

If they start to brown too quickly, cover them with a piece of foil, shiny side up.  Let cool before slicing.

Once cut, challah should be kept in a plastic bag; it will keep for 2 days and then make excellent French toast.  For longer storage, wrap the breads airtight and freeze for up to 1 month.  Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

Challah Bread from Baking with Julia

makes 2 loaves of bread

2 tablespoons (approximately) unsalted butter, melted

1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast

½ cup tepid water (80-90 degrees F)

1/3 cup sugar

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon mild honey

2 ½ teaspoons salt

4 large eggs

6/12 cups high-gluten flour, bread flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour

Brush the sides of a large mixing bowl with melted butter, and set aside the rest of the butter for topping the bread.

Whisk the yeast into the water.  Add a pinch of the sugar and let rest until the yeast has dissolved and is creamy, about 5 minutes.

Cut the butter into small pieces and toss into a small saucepan with the milk; heat until the milk is very warm to the touch and the butter has melted.  Pour the mixture into a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer and add the remaining sugar, the honey, and salt, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar and salt.  If necessary, let the mixture cool so that it is no warmer than 110 degrees F.

Add creamy yeast to the milk mixture, along with the eggs, and stir with the wooden spoon to mix.  If you have a standing mixer, attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the dough hook.  Add about 5 cups of the flour, and beat on low speed for 3 minutes, or until the dough starts to come together.  Beating on medium-low, add as much additional flour as needed to make a soft dough that will clean the sides of the bowl.  Knead on medium-low for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth, soft, and elastic.

If you don’t have a standing mixer, add the flour to the yeast, milk, and egg mixture, ½ cup as a time, stopping when you have a dough that cleans the sides of the bowl and is difficult to stir.  Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead, adding more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and the counter, until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and transfer to the buttered mixing bowl.  Brush the top with a little melted butter, cover the bowl with buttered plastic wrap, and top with a kitchen towel.  Let the dough rise at room temperature for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in volume.  When the dough is fully risen, deflate it, cover as before, and let it rise until it doubles in bulk again, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface.   Cut the dough in half and keep 1 piece of dough covered while you work with the other.

Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a rope about 16 inches long; it should  be thick in the center and tapered at the ends.  Align the ropes vertically, side by side, and start braiding from the center down.  When you’ve reached the end, turn the loaf around so that the braided half is on top; braid the lower half.  Pinch the ends to seal and tuck the ends under the loaf.  Transfer the loaf to a prepared baking sheet and gently plump it to get it back into shape; cover with a towel.  Braid the second loaf, put it on a baking sheet, and cover.  Let the loaves rise at room temperature for 40 minutes, or until soft, puffy, and almost doubled.

The Glaze and Topping                          

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon cold water or heavy cream

Sesame, poppy, and/or caraway seeds (optional)

Coarse salt

Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 375 degrees F.

Whisk the egg, yolk, and water together in a small bowl until broken up, then push the glaze through a sieve.  Brush the tops and sides of the challahs with glaze; let the glaze set for 5 minutes, and brush again.  Reserve the leftover glaze for brushing the loaves during baking.  If you’re topping the loaves, dust them with the seeds; sprinkle coarse salt over the loaves, topped or not.

Bake for 20 minutes.  The loaves will expand and expose some of the inner dough.  Brush the newly exposed dough with the reserved glaze and bake 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the loaves are golden and sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.  If they start to brown too quickly, cover them with a piece of foil, shiny side up.  Let cool before slicing.

Once cut, challah should be kept in a plastic bag; it will keep for 2 days and then make excellent French toast.  For longer storage, wrap the breads airtight and freeze for up to 1 month.  Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.