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-> Recipe Collection
-> Challah and Breads
alte mamme
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 Fri, Oct 04 2013, 3:05 pm
| alef12 wrote: | What do you cover the challahs with when they are rising (after braiding)?
Also, how long do you let them rise?
Asking for a reason, might have an idea what's causing this. |
Please share your idea.
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FranticFrummie
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Fri, Oct 04 2013, 5:37 pm
I have to say, my first thought when I saw your picture was "YUM!" 
Try putting a pan of hot water on the lower oven rack. That will keep the humidity high enough that the dough can expand before the crust gets too brown.
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anonymom
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Sat, Oct 05 2013, 10:26 pm
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Your unbaked ones do look amazing. I rushed to reply before reading all the other responses because mine used to sometimes look exactly like your cracked ones until I figured out the problem. I was using both shelves in the oven. Even if I would swith half-way thru, the ones that began on the top shelf would come out fine and the ones on the bottom would be cracked open. So now I bake all of mine on the top shelf and they never crack. I think the reason is, the heat is more near the top and bottom and less in the middle. Once the crusts have solidified on the top shelf you can move them to the bottom shelf for the bottom to form a good crust or to make room for another batch on the top.
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alef12
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Sat, Oct 05 2013, 10:41 pm
Make sure you cover the challahs with plastic wrap (spray the challahs or the plastic wrap with Pam) when they rise. This will ensure the top stays soft for a more even, neater rise and less cracking.
Also be sure you are rising them long enough before baking so you don't get as much of a rise in the oven after the top has already hardened (causing cracking)
The pan of water on a lower rack in the oven is a great trick. I do that all the time when I bake bread. You can also try misting the top of the challah with water just before putting it in the oven.
Do you have s convection oven? I have read that the blowing of the fan can sometimes cause a drying effect on bread causing more cracking.
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IMHopinion
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Sun, Oct 06 2013, 1:10 am
This happens to me too once in a while, if I let the already braided dough sit out of the oven too long.
You must be careful not to let them rise too long AFTER braiding, otherwise, "they outgrow themselves and pop"!
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psych-student
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Fri, Oct 11 2013, 2:25 am
| alef12 wrote: | What do you cover the challahs with when they are rising (after braiding)?
Also, how long do you let them rise?
Asking for a reason, might have an idea what's causing this. |
now THIS is something I've never heard before. the kneading, the pans, I've tried all that but truth be told... and I consider myself a good baker... I never covered them after they were braided!!! I think you're on to something! tell me more =)
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psych-student
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Fri, Oct 11 2013, 2:32 am
thanks so much to everyone for your suggestions and advice (and compliments, that made me feel better!)
this is just funny -- some say let them rise enough when they're braided and some say not too long (I know, it's not a contradiction, but which one is the reason?) so I would lean toward them rising too long being the problem because the ones I let rise extra-long had huge cracks while my last batch of rolls which were tied didn't have time to rise, I just popped them into the oven, and they look fine. hm.
BUT the rolls were also thinner strands, which someone else mentioned might be a solution.
in regard to the kneading, my dough was picture-perfect bread dough by the time I was done with it. since I knead by hand it's easy to under-knead so I try to do a little extra until the dough is completely smooth and bounces back when you poke it.
and in regards to the oven racks and convection oven -- ha. I have a teensy leetle israeli oven that underheats lol
okay, next batch I'll try looser braids on some and covering while rising for others and only rising for a bit after braiding with others. I'll let you all know how it goes since some of you have this problem also. but I'd still love to hear more suggestions -- I'll have a whole bunch to experiment with!
oh and @tamiri (and anyone who said not to worry how they look): since you brought emunah into the convo, I decided it's not just vanity. I want it to be nechmad l'mareh v'tov l'maachal! (bereishis 2:9) LOL
thanks again!
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PinkFridge
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Fri, Oct 11 2013, 4:31 pm
| psych-student wrote: | thanks so much to everyone for your suggestions and advice (and compliments, that made me feel better!)
this is just funny -- some say let them rise enough when they're braided and some say not too long (I know, it's not a contradiction, but which one is the reason?) so I would lean toward them rising too long being the problem because the ones I let rise extra-long had huge cracks while my last batch of rolls which were tied didn't have time to rise, I just popped them into the oven, and they look fine. hm.
BUT the rolls were also thinner strands, which someone else mentioned might be a solution.
in regard to the kneading, my dough was picture-perfect bread dough by the time I was done with it. since I knead by hand it's easy to under-knead so I try to do a little extra until the dough is completely smooth and bounces back when you poke it.
and in regards to the oven racks and convection oven -- ha. I have a teensy leetle israeli oven that underheats lol
okay, next batch I'll try looser braids on some and covering while rising for others and only rising for a bit after braiding with others. I'll let you all know how it goes since some of you have this problem also. but I'd still love to hear more suggestions -- I'll have a whole bunch to experiment with!
oh and @tamiri (and anyone who said not to worry how they look): since you brought emunah into the convo, I decided it's not just vanity. I want it to be nechmad l'mareh v'tov l'maachal! (bereishis 2:9) LOL
thanks again! |
Hey, your the psych student. You know what's healthy or not ;-)
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alte mamme
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Sat, Oct 12 2013, 9:51 pm
My kids and I braided one challah each this week. The one that looked the worst was done by my youngest child, of course. It was very loose and kind of twisted over in one spot in a funny way. But after baking, hers looked the best! It didn't split at all, and everything sort of evened out in the oven.
So, now I'm convinced that loose braids are the way to go.
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alte mamme
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Sat, Oct 12 2013, 9:54 pm
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I thought that covering while the dough rises was pretty much standard. I tried the plastic wrap as recommended above, but I don't think that made much difference. I prefer to cover with a thin towel.
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Lady Bug
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Sat, Oct 12 2013, 10:36 pm
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It definitely has to do with the way you are kneading it, especially since you say you knead it by hand.
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Dini20
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Sun, Oct 13 2013, 5:36 am
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I had that problem too. I emailed the challah lady & she told me to add more flour when mixing. So now I use the 5 lb bag & add almost a cup of flour (I just use reg flour for the cup) & it doesn't happen anymore
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ray family
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Mon, Dec 30 2013, 4:32 am
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OP have you tried any of the suggestions? what happed w/ your challa?h
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shaini
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Thu, Jan 30 2014, 7:41 pm
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OP, regardless of how you think they look, can you post the recipe?
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psych-student
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Fri, Feb 07 2014, 1:22 am
Thanks again everyone for your help! After much experimentation (I should change my name to challahstudent lol) ALL of the challahstudent baked perfectly this week bH! So here's my bottom line:
1. Extra kneading (I started using my machine because of time constraints and give it an extra few minutes of mixing after it's ready)
2. A tiny bit looser braids (but I really don't think this was the issue)
3. Less rising after braiding - not even a half hour
4. Hotter oven - closer to 375 rather than 350. Especially since my oven tends to underheat.
For those who asked, here's the recipe:
4 cups warm water
4 TBS dry active yeast
1 TBS sugar
Proof yeast in water with sugar, add:
5 lbs flour
3 large eggs
1-1/2 cups oil
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1TBS salt
Mix, take challah, knead, rise, braid, rise, bake. Enjoy!
Last edited by psych-student on Sun, Feb 23 2014, 5:55 am; edited 1 time in total
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ROFL
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Fri, Feb 07 2014, 5:57 am
| psych-student wrote: | Thanks again everyone for your help! After much experimentation (I should change my name to challahstudent lol) ALL of the challahstudent baked perfectly this week bH! So here's my bottom line:
1. Extra kneading (I started using my machine because of time constraints and give it an extra few minutes of mixing after it's ready)
2. A tiny bit looser braids (but I really don't think this was the issue)
3. Less rising after braiding - not even a half hour
4. Hotter oven - closer to 375 rather than 350. Especially since my oven tends to underheat.
For those who asked, here's the recipe:
4 cups warm water
4 TBS dry active yeast
1 TBS sugar
Proof yeast in water with sugar, add:
3 large eggs
1-1/2 cups oil
1-1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1TBS salt
Mix, take challah, knead, rise, braid, rise, bake. Enjoy! |
How much flour? Any type of flour. .
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jflower
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Fri, Feb 07 2014, 1:49 pm
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I get the best results from high gluten flour. When I used regular white flour, the challah was very heavy.
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Chana Miriam S
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Fri, Feb 07 2014, 2:40 pm
I would think that baking at a lower temperature would help this. I don't believe it is a function of wetness of the dough or pan since the only time I see this regularly other than in challah is in pita baking which I do at very high temp.
And the last time I saw this in a challah was in the convection oven at our Shul which runs twice as fast as my home oven. I hadnt made challah in a while there and only lowered to 325 instead of 300. My own oven is convection and I bake challah at 350
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Chana Miriam S
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Fri, Feb 07 2014, 2:43 pm
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Also best way to cover up funny looking challah sis by baking streusel on top of them which also can add very much to your oneg!
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monseychick
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Fri, Feb 07 2014, 2:44 pm
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They look so delicious.. Can I eat by you tonite
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