Why are my Challah bottoms so light?

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imorethanamother

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 12:13 am

I have a fabulous challah recipe, and it still tastes fine, but I'm upset that the bottoms of my challah never appear to get brown or crusty. Instead, they stay light and too soft even after the rest of it is browned and crusty, and the dough is baked all the way through.

Is it because I'm using parchment paper? Should I cook it even longer and risk getting it all dried out and burned?

amother

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 12:21 am

Are you baking them in a loaf pan or on a baking sheet? A disposable pan will leave you a soft crust, especially with parchment paper.

If in a loaf pan, it might help to take them out and put them into a baking sheet for the last 5-10 minutes of baking to get a crust. Or consider switching to non -disposable.

If on a baking sheet, maybe put the baking sheet into the oven while it's preheating and slide the parchment paper onto the heated pan like you would a pizza.

nosher

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 12:22 am

Try putting the challos back in the oven, directly on the grates, for five more minutes.

amother

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 12:22 am

Maybe your idea of "browned and crusty" and "baked all the way through" isn't. My sil takes her challah out of the oven at a point that her family considers well done and I consider so raw as to be inedible. Seriously, when my challah looks like hers I know it has at least another 20-30 minutes to go. I use parchment paper and the bottoms are just fine.

Rubber Ducky

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 8:41 am

• Use black pans or cookie sheets. No parchment paper. If your challahs stick, try PAM.

• Change the rack position so it's lower in your oven.

gittelchana

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 1:07 pm

Do you have Challos on the top and bottom trays simultaneously?

imorethanamother

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 1:37 pm

OP here.

I use baking sheets only, I hate raw challah and it's not raw, and in one oven I do top and bottom racks, and in the other oven I do top rack. (I'm making a lot of challah at a time)

I like the idea of taking them off the sheet and putting them directly on the grates, but won't that make weird marks on the bottom?

frayda

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 1:47 pm

It helps if you let it bake for a bit on the bottom rack. I also use disposable pans, and I find that they don't brown so well when they're only baked on the top rack.

rena18

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 2:01 pm

What temperature are you using? Maybe try raising the temp. I bake my challah at 375F on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and the bottoms get nice and brown.

FranticFrummie

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 2:16 pm

Set your challah to rise on parchment sheets on the countertop.

Preheat your baking sheets in the oven, and transfer the challah onto HOT sheets. That will start the bottoms browning nicely.

mommyla

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 4:31 pm

If you're using pans (rather than sheets), flip the challahs over (once they're done) and put them back upside down in the pans in the oven for three more minutes. They brown up pretty quickly.

greenfire

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 5:47 pm

I use glass pyrex pans - that's what you do if you want the crunchy bottom & soft insides

gittelchana

Thu, Jan 15 2015, 6:09 pm

imorethanamother wrote:

Just switch the top and bottom trays half way through.

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