Dense challah- why?

List of Forums + New Post Recipe Box Usergroups Following Log in

Join Now

| | | | |

Dense challah- why?

Forum -> Recipe Collection

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

amother

Mon, Oct 02 2023, 7:51 am

Why is my challah so dense? Got the recipe from a friend who makes her dough in the bread machine. I have done the same thing and mine is much more dense than hers. And the round ones I made for chag even more so. The only two major things that I can think of that may be different is that the bread machine is different and I didn't let it rise again after I braided it- put it straight in the oven. Could that make a difference?

octopus

Mon, Oct 02 2023, 8:02 am

Yes, not letting it rise again can create a denser challah. Also, if you didn't do it in the bread machine, did you knead the dough by hand or with a different machine? Could be you didn't knead it for long enough.

amother

Mon, Oct 02 2023, 8:03 am

octopus wrote:

Thanks!
The bread machine did all the kneading. When it beeped I turned out and just braided.

egam

Mon, Oct 02 2023, 8:41 am

You need to let it rise after braiding.
I made big batch of dough before yom tov and by the time I shaped the last one, the was no time for it to let it proof. It came out very dense while the rest were fluffy. And this is from the same dough.
The other thing is, unless you measured your ingredients by weight and used the same brand of flour as your friend, the same recipe would never yield the same results.

amother

Winterberry

Mon, Oct 02 2023, 8:42 am

Could it be you added too much flour? How did the dough feel? Was it smooth and elastic or on the heavier side? A lot depends on the humidity in your house, so a recipe may not always come out exactly the same every time.

amother

RosePink

Mon, Oct 02 2023, 9:13 am

1) no fresh enough yeast
2) not letting it rise after braiding - at least 30-40 minutes
3) not cooking enough for the amount of dough you used
4) different type of flour or even different brand of flour

amother

Mon, Oct 02 2023, 10:56 am

Thanks for all the tips... I am going to try again today- but doing 5lbs by hand and using a new water challah recipe and then hopefully freeze it- or can I put it in the fridge- which would be better?

Uhum

Mon, Oct 02 2023, 12:07 pm

1. A tip I learned from a friend in Israel and works every time
Add 1 tsp baking powder + 1 tablespoon vinegar to the dough at the kneading stage
2. Put challah into cold oven, turn on to 180 for 10 min, then move up to 400 for reg baking time. Helps it rise beautifully
3. Sub 3/4 of the water in the recipe for seltzer
You're welcome

Oh, freeze, don't refrigerate

corolla

Mon, Oct 02 2023, 12:13 pm

Uhum wrote:

Not OP, but is that per 5 lbs?

amother

Orange

Wed, Oct 04 2023, 12:27 am

Its for 5 lbs but I used in 6 too without changing amounts and was fine

Page 1 of 1

Recent Topics

View latest: 24h 48h 72h

Forum -> Recipe Collection

	Replies	Last Post
What do you put your challah to rise in? by amother Recipe Collection	28	Sun, Dec 03 2023, 1:34 pm by cozyblanket
What temperature do you bake your challah & for how long? by amother Recipe Collection	21	Sun, Dec 03 2023, 1:21 pm by amother
Recipe for spelt challah with wonder mills white spelt 5 ilb by amother Recipe Collection	20	Fri, Dec 01 2023, 7:22 am by tweety1
Quick!! How can I freeze challah rolls? by amother Kosher Kitchen	5	Thu, Nov 30 2023, 12:01 am by amother
Challah recipe by coffee icecream Challah and Breads	2	Wed, Nov 29 2023, 1:03 pm by coffee icecream

Imamother is a community of frum Jewish women, where you can come to relax,
socialize, debate, receive support, ask questions and much more.

Imamother may earn commission when you use our links to make a purchase.