AuthorSarah RacineCategoryBreadDifficultyIntermediateYield- 1 standard loaf
Want to make an impressive looking traditional bread without the tricky braiding and risk of your freeform loaf getting too squat? Bake your Challah in a loaf pan! This makes it ideally shaped for french toast and sandwich applications, and makes it less intimidating if this is your first crack at Challah bread. While the shaping is non-traditional, the ingredients and mixing method most certainly are. Some modern Challahs call for milk and butter, but the traditional ingredient line up puts egg in the spotlight.
If you need more clarity on the process of bread making, feel free to reference my 9 Steps of Yeast Bread post for more information.
375F, or 350F convection, middle rack
Grease one loaf pan with vegetable oil.
5-6 quart bowl, optional stand mixer with dough hook attachment
-Yeast, warm water, sugar, and oil, stir with a spoon for 15 seconds
(Stir just to combine; you want the yeast submerged in the water but it can still be clumpy. In five minutes or so, it should look foamy and bubbly).
-Combine yeast mixture with all remaining ingredients in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, or into a bowl and begin kneading, 5 minutes .
(If dough seems too dry, add a TBSP of water at a time until the dough comes together into one mass that is tacky, but not sticky. If dough seems too wet, add a TBSP of flour at a time until the dough comes together into one mass that is tacky, but not sticky.)
Once dough looks smooth and pliable, conduct the “gluten window test.” Grab about a tablespoon sized amount of dough out of the bowl and pinch it with at least four fingers and your thumbs. Spread the dough slowly and hold it toward the light. If your dough tears, the gluten is not fully developed; keep mixing. If you can see light through it and it’s stretchy enough, that means your gluten is fully developed and your dough is ready to rest!
Let dough proof covered for at least 60 minutes . The warmer it is (up to 105 degrees), the faster it will rise. You want dough to grow at least 50% in size before dividing and shaping it.
This is called the bulk fermentation. This is the 1st proof, where the yeast is given time to break down the starch as food and emit has, resulting in air bubbles in the bread as well as flavor. This also gives time for gluten to develop and the bread’s texture to improve. Even when you are not mixing, gluten is developing. The longer dough sits, the weaker the bread structure becomes and the easier it is to develop gluten.
Once the first proof is over, remove dough from the bowl and punch down dough to remove excess gas.
Divide dough by cutting (never tearing, this affects the integrity of the dough) into three 9 ounce pieces. Roll each 9 ounce piece into a snake, about 1 foot long. Pinch the top ends together, and braid tightly until 1 inch at the bottom of each strip remains, then taper those together. Tuck ends under if needed for added security.
Place into the prepared pan. To prevent the dough from drying out, brush a mixture of 1 whole egg plus 2 tablespoons water onto every exposed portion of dough. This is called Egg Washing.
Let the loaf bench rest for at least 30 minutes but up to 60 before baking. The more the loaf bench rests, the fluffier it will be (but don’t overproof, or it will collapse).
Bench resting is the second proof. Shorter length of time to prevent over-proofing, always done after shaping and right before baking to improve dough shapes, let gluten recover from the work you just did, and to add air bubbles and additional volume to your product.
Eggwash again right before baking.
Bake for 20 minutes rotate your loaf pan, and bake for another 20 minutes . After the rotation, if the top starts to look golden brown, cover the loaf with a sheet of foil to prevent an overly dark top.
Remove from the oven and let cool before removing from pan. If it doesn't turn out easily, run a pairing knife along the side of the loaf between the edges and the metal sides. Let cool before slicing, and serve warm or cool, not hot. My favorite accompaniment is cinnamon honey butter.
Ingredients
Directions
375F, or 350F convection, middle rack
Grease one loaf pan with vegetable oil.
5-6 quart bowl, optional stand mixer with dough hook attachment
-Yeast, warm water, sugar, and oil, stir with a spoon for 15 seconds
(Stir just to combine; you want the yeast submerged in the water but it can still be clumpy. In five minutes or so, it should look foamy and bubbly).
-Combine yeast mixture with all remaining ingredients in a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, or into a bowl and begin kneading, 5 minutes .
(If dough seems too dry, add a TBSP of water at a time until the dough comes together into one mass that is tacky, but not sticky. If dough seems too wet, add a TBSP of flour at a time until the dough comes together into one mass that is tacky, but not sticky.)
Once dough looks smooth and pliable, conduct the “gluten window test.” Grab about a tablespoon sized amount of dough out of the bowl and pinch it with at least four fingers and your thumbs. Spread the dough slowly and hold it toward the light. If your dough tears, the gluten is not fully developed; keep mixing. If you can see light through it and it’s stretchy enough, that means your gluten is fully developed and your dough is ready to rest!
Let dough proof covered for at least 60 minutes . The warmer it is (up to 105 degrees), the faster it will rise. You want dough to grow at least 50% in size before dividing and shaping it.
This is called the bulk fermentation. This is the 1st proof, where the yeast is given time to break down the starch as food and emit has, resulting in air bubbles in the bread as well as flavor. This also gives time for gluten to develop and the bread’s texture to improve. Even when you are not mixing, gluten is developing. The longer dough sits, the weaker the bread structure becomes and the easier it is to develop gluten.
Once the first proof is over, remove dough from the bowl and punch down dough to remove excess gas.
Divide dough by cutting (never tearing, this affects the integrity of the dough) into three 9 ounce pieces. Roll each 9 ounce piece into a snake, about 1 foot long. Pinch the top ends together, and braid tightly until 1 inch at the bottom of each strip remains, then taper those together. Tuck ends under if needed for added security.
Place into the prepared pan. To prevent the dough from drying out, brush a mixture of 1 whole egg plus 2 tablespoons water onto every exposed portion of dough. This is called Egg Washing.
Let the loaf bench rest for at least 30 minutes but up to 60 before baking. The more the loaf bench rests, the fluffier it will be (but don’t overproof, or it will collapse).
Bench resting is the second proof. Shorter length of time to prevent over-proofing, always done after shaping and right before baking to improve dough shapes, let gluten recover from the work you just did, and to add air bubbles and additional volume to your product.
Eggwash again right before baking.
Bake for 20 minutes rotate your loaf pan, and bake for another 20 minutes . After the rotation, if the top starts to look golden brown, cover the loaf with a sheet of foil to prevent an overly dark top.
Remove from the oven and let cool before removing from pan. If it doesn't turn out easily, run a pairing knife along the side of the loaf between the edges and the metal sides. Let cool before slicing, and serve warm or cool, not hot. My favorite accompaniment is cinnamon honey butter.
