Sweet eggy challah recipe please

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amother

Sun, Sep 13 2020, 10:35 pm

I am looking for a fluffy, sweet, eggy, challah recipe. The kind that tastes like what I imagine good homemade challah tastes like when I smell it.

Anyone know what I mean?! Anyone have a good recipe?

ChanieMommy

Sun, Sep 13 2020, 10:44 pm

to make a good, fluffy, challa, eggs help.
You should use lukewarm water, not cold, but not hot (since hot would kill the yeast)
Also warm temperatures while proofing help.
But what also helps is a lot of water in the dough.

So here is my receipe:
1 glass lukewarm water
42 g fresh yeast
1 tablespoon sugar, mix and wait 10 min.

1 kg flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon salt
(if you like sweet, add more sugar)
2 tablespoons oil (I add the oil only during the kneading, not before)
add water with yeast & sugar
add around 2 more glasses of water...

However, if you have a lot of water in the dough, it tends to be sticky, more difficult to braid, and it tends to loose its shape more quickly once you braided it...

Here a basic explanation about the phenomenon:

amother

Hotpink

Sun, Sep 13 2020, 11:30 pm

Proof 3-4 Tbsp dry yeast in 3 cups warm water with some sugar.

7 pounds flour hi gluten
5 eggs
2.5 cups sugar
6 cups water in total
1 3/4 cups oil
2 Tbsp salt

I use the Bosch. Put the yeast mixture,water, eggs, sugar and oil into bowl. Then, I pour in flour and salt. Salt shouldn't touch yeast. Mix. If its a bit sticky add a little flour. I let rise in clean garbage bag. Make bracha after rising about 2 hours. Make your challah and let rise 1 hour. Egg and sesame seeds
Bake
I made about 8 large round challahs in 9" pans and about 8 challa rolls

hayag1

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 7:35 am

4.5 cups warm water
Add in 5 tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
Proof for about 5 min

Then in mixer bowl put
1 bag king Arthur bread flour
4 eggs
3 tbsp salt
1 c oil
1.75 c sugar

Add yeast mixture to bowl

Mix for 10 min

Bake on 350, turning over and switching positions in the middle

amother

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 8:09 am

Thanks! Now how do I know which recipe is the type that I'm looking for?!

amother

Beige

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 8:11 am

The trick is to proof the yeast in warm water with a little sugar before adding the ingredients

I have a recipe using 5 pounds of flour
Or using just 8 cups of flour

How much challah do you want to bake?

amother

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 8:13 am

Thanks. I know how to bake challah. I've been baking for years. I just want a different type of recipe now.

ChanieMommy

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 8:34 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thanks. I know how to bake challah. I've been baking for years. I just want a different type of recipe now.

It's not so much about the receipe.
It's more about technique.

For example, I discovered that it was really key to let the dough proof a second time after braiding, before baking.

Preheating and steaming the oven is an important factor (if your oven has no steam function, put a bit of warm water in an oven sheet under your challot, right before or after you put them in.

Luke-warm water rather than cold water is an important factor, appropriate room temperature helps (easier in summer than in winter, you would want to look for a nice warm place in winter, there are even proofing boxes for stable temperature).

Gluten-rich flour may also be an essential factor, because it is gluten that maintains the structure of the dough...

The proportion of water in the dough is also an important factor, as I said above... More water makes it softer and fluffier, but it makes the dough stickier, harder to knead, and it tends to keep the shape less...

And, since I don't use a kitchen machine, the biggest discovery for me was the importance of kneading. I tried it out and found that suddenly, after some time, the dough changed it's consistency, went from sticky to smooth and elastic...That's why I posted the video.

amother

Beige

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 9:03 am

I use close to 2 cups of sugar for a 5 lb bag of flour
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
If you want the full recipe I can type it out
I only make sweet challah which gets compliments every week 🙂

amother

Jade

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 9:17 am

I think OP means that she wants real egg challah. Personally I use four eggs to six pounds of flour. I have friends that use 9 to 10 eggs for 5 lb of flour That's probably what op is looking for. those challahs are more yellow in color than white.

amother

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 9:24 am

amother [ Jade ] wrote:

Probably. 9 to 10 eggs sounds excessive but I am looking for amounts that make it eggy without making it too heavy.

cbsp

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 9:59 am

I mostly follow Devorah Heller"s technique of proofing the yeast with all sugar and water, adding a few cups flour and mixing until its a gloopy paste like consistency. Then I add most of the oil and eggs*, mixing after each egg.

I then start adding the flour slowly, mixing well after each addition. Halfway through I add the rest of the oil, drizzling it over the dough and the bowl to help the flour get incorporated.

Once all the flour is added I knead it for 10-15 minutes (less with a machine, more if by hand). Resist the urge to add more flour, just keep kneading.

Let it rest for 18 minutes (yes, Chazal knew science).

Add the salt at this point and knead again for 4-6 minutes.

Now let it rise covered in a lightly greased bowl.

Let it rise again after braiding.

I find that adding the salt after the first brief rise really helped the fluff for.

*I started using some yolks instead of whole eggs.

My recipe now is: 5-6 Tablespoons dry yeast, 2.5-3 cups sugar, 5 cups warm water (105-113 degrees Fahrenheit), 6lb flour (high gluten), 1.5 cups oil, 6 whole eggs +3 yolks, 4 scant tablespoons kosher salt

I grease my hands really lightly while I work with the dough instead of adding flour to the work area.

amother

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 8:43 pm

Thanks to all who posted!

amother

Hotpink

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 8:52 pm

Let us know how yummy your challa is iyH....wishing you a sweet new year!

amother

Mon, Sep 14 2020, 9:40 pm

amother [ Hotpink ] wrote:

Let us know how yummy your challa is iyH....wishing you a sweet new year!

Amein! And to you all!

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