secret to bakery challah

Success10

Mon, Dec 23 2013, 4:43 pm

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

Raisin, I have a bread machine and it makes good challah, but I find it frustrating that it has a two-pound limit. (Well, whatever the dough amount is that makes two pounds of bread.) Even with a small family, that is not nearly enough!

What bread machine do you use?

Every yeast dough I make comes out so much better in the bread machine. I get 4 medium sized challahs out of mine, a morphy richards. They are great. No, you didn't ask, buuuuuttt

1.5 cups water
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar (I use demarara)
2.5 tsp salt
5 and 1/4 Cups flour (I use 70% Whole Wheat)
1/8 cup instant yeast

dump it all in, set to dough mode, let it rise, take out dough and braid challah on a floured surface (don't torture yourself with sticky dough, use flour to make it workable) coat with egg and let rise again, for 45 min to an hour, but not too long, bake at 350 for APPROX 25 mins, but I just go by the color of the challah, top should get brown, but not too brown, the whole challah shouldn't be brown, just the tops. A friend once told me to tap it with a spoon, if it sounds "hollow" then it's ready. Really an unbelievable challah.

Frumdoc

Mon, Dec 23 2013, 6:33 pm

My mother's challah tastes like a little sliver of olam haba when fresh.

It makes my mouth water just thinking about it Confused

But it isn't so good after 24 hours, unless frozen straight away, and it has taken her years of really not great challah to get it right, she uses some secret recipe she won't share that is an adaptation of another recipe with an extra egg that fell in one day and the amount of flour that happened when the bag split in 1987, or something like that.

My MIL insists that only one bakery makes good challah, and the only way to eat it is to buy it straight from the oven, freeze it immediately and take it out just before the meal. Then she sits and tells me it is very sweet my mother makes challah but she does waste her time as nothing is as good as "Eatmenow"bakery and these silly balebastas think they are being all holy etc etc etc.

I don't have a mixer and don't have the time to start on the 20+ year process it seems to take to get to decent challah, so will continue to ask my mother to bake us some (as well as the 5 neighbours and friends she makes it for), until she decides to share! I sometimes think my mother is a Rebetzin Kanievsky wannabe, although there are worse things she could be!

nancy

Mon, Dec 23 2013, 6:40 pm

Success10 wrote:

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

Sounds great, thanks for posting... Can't wait to try it!

PinkFridge

Mon, Dec 23 2013, 8:05 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

One thing to keep in mind, is that bakeries use a commercial steam oven. That makes a WORLD of difference. They run at around 500 degrees, but have a steam generator in there to keep the crust soft and the temperature even. That way nothing gets burnt or raw in the middle.

Some day, oh yes, some day, I will have an extra couple thousand dollars for one. A girl can dream...

In the meantime, I use my Kitchenaid to knead the dough, and let it rise overnight at room temperature.

Overnight at room temp? What kind of flour and grains do you use?

PinkFridge

Mon, Dec 23 2013, 8:06 pm

Frumdoc wrote:

My mother's challah tastes like a little sliver of olam haba when fresh.

It makes my mouth water just thinking about it Confused

Forget about saving $$$.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Dec 23 2013, 8:13 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

FranticFrummie wrote:

Overnight at room temp? What kind of flour and grains do you use?

Just plain old Costco flour. I eyeball all the ingredients. I don't bother "putting the dough in a warm place to rise", I just let it do the long rise at room temp. It's really slow, but the flavor develops quite nicely and the crumb is very tender.

I have a friend who makes the best challah in the whole world. She's given out her recipe to lots of people, but no one can duplicate it, no matter how hard they try. My friend has a very old gas oven, and the rest of us have electric. I'm convinced that it's something to do with the oven that makes all the difference.

BTW, she is the one who taught me to do the "cold rise" overnight.

Pooh

Mon, Dec 23 2013, 9:22 pm

Someone posted earlier this year about emulsifiers. She said It's what they add to challa in bakery that makes it softer longer. She was wondering if people would be interested in the product so she could market it. Not a lot of takers tho.

alte mamme

Tue, Dec 24 2013, 2:52 am

What a topic! I had to finally start baking challah because my kids were complaining about how bad the bakery challah was! I think in Israel the bakery challah was really good, but not in my city.

I have been using a bread machine (which only takes 4 cups flour) for the past few months now. At first it didn't look so good but tasted delicious. Now it looks really pretty (my friend just told me it looks like the bakery challah, which I took as a mixed compliment although she meant well) but it doesn't taste as good as it used to. The change seems to be due to adjusting the measurements in minute quantities which has improved the texture of the dough (it used to be almost impossible to braid, couldn't figure out why). My kids are still really happy with it and it still tastes good. Just has too much of that bakery texture if you ask me. Confused

alte mamme

Tue, Dec 24 2013, 2:59 am

nancy wrote:

Success10 wrote:

JoyInTheMorning wrote:

Sounds great, thanks for posting... Can't wait to try it!

Success10, does this work in a bread machine that only makes up to 2lb loaf?

etky

Tue, Dec 24 2013, 5:51 am

Success10 wrote:

Yes, my machine is a 2lb machine, I wait till the dough has risen to the top and is staring to touch the lid.

Success, my recipe is almost identical to yours, with just a bit less flour (about 5 c.) and consequently slightly less water. I also make it in the bread machine and it comes out yummy each time.
However, I only use about 2.5 tsp. of yeast and your recipe calls for 2 Tblsp!
I use the granular שמרים יבשים.
What is "instant yeast"?

Success10

Tue, Dec 24 2013, 6:04 am

I don't have the package right now, I usually transfer it to a ziploc and put it in my freezer once opened. It comes in a vaccum packed bag, I think it says instant yeast on it, not sure what the Hebrew is, it just means that you don't have to "proof" the yeast first (let it sit with warm water for 5-10 mins till the water is bubbly) With instant yeast, you can just put it into the recipe like any other ingredient, and it will still rise.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Dec 24 2013, 6:11 am

Success10 wrote:

In the US, it's called "quick rise yeast". It works well for challah, but you can't use it for artisan breads and sourdough type recipes. For that, you need the type of yeast that should be proofed first.

Maybe that's why my slow overnight rise worked so well, I never use quick rise yeast. It really does speed up the rising time, which is great if you're in a hurry.

oliveoil

Tue, Dec 24 2013, 7:53 am

Success10 wrote:

Wait, bakeries add chemicals? Is that why their stuff stays better for longer and is fluffier?

This is like finding out that all beautiful model pictures are actually photoshopped, and the look you've being trying so hard to achieve is all a false reality!!

bamamama

Tue, Dec 24 2013, 3:59 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

Success10 wrote:

Slow rising over night brings out the flavour in the grains. No wonder it's good. I have read Peter Reinhardt's Breadbaker's Apprentice and most of his recipes recommend this.

Raisin

Tue, Dec 24 2013, 4:32 pm

Its susie fishbeins recipe, very slightly adapted. I might have used slightly more flour, I can't remember any more its so long since I've made it.

1 1/2 cups water
5 large egg yolks (I used 3 whole eggs and no noticeable difference)
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup oil
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour or 4 1/4 cups bread flour (I use bread flour)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 large egg, lightly beaten
sesame seeds or poppy seed

Put in machine in order your machine likes. set on dough setting. Take out promptly. (otherwise your machine will be a mess!!) shape straight away or refrigerate until needed. I would make one batch thursday night and two friday morning and put together to take challa. let loaves rise half an hour and bake for about half an hour.

if you search for bread machine challah on this site there are a number of other recipes which may be as good as this.

bread machines usually recommend you use the quick rise yeast but if you are making dough and not baking bread I dont think it matters, you can use the regular type.