Press Release

A TASTE OF CHALLAH A Comprehensive Guide to Challah and Bread Baking by Tamar Ansh Feldheim Publishers May 2007 $34.99/hardcover Full-color photographs throughout ISBN: 978-1-58330-922-3 Back to book information Printer-friendly page

Basic white flour challah dough: 16 - 17 cups freshly sifted white flour
4-3/4 - 5 cups warm water
1-1/3 - 1-1/2 cups sugar
75 grams fresh yeast (if fresh is not available, you can substitute 3 tablespoons of dry yeast)
1 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon salt

Sift the flour. This can be done the night before and placed in a large garbage bag to save time, although you can certainly sift the flour the same day you plan to make the dough. Close the bag tightly until ready for use.

Boil up a few cups of with water. In one small pareve bowl or measuring cup, put 1/2 cup boiled water and 1 cup tap water together. Test with your finger to make sure it is very warm but not boiling. Boiling water kills the yeast activity.

Add 1/4 cup of the sugar to this water and then the fresh yeast. Cover this small bowl with a plate and set it aside for 10 minutes to make sure the yeast starts bubbling. This means the yeast is activating. If the yeast doesn't bubble up, it means the yeast is not good; discard, and start again.

In a large mixer bowl (if you don't have a mixer, you can most certainly do this by hand), place in this order:

• 1. oil
• 2. the rest of the sugar
• 3. 2 cups warm water
• 4. salt
• 5. 8 cups flour

Mix all very well until a thin sort of batter forms. After the yeast mixture has bubbled, add this also and mix again.

Now start adding the remaining flour slowly, one or two cups at a time, until it is all mixed in.

By this point all of the ingredients except for the remaining water should be mixed in. The total amount of water used so far is about 4 cups.

Keep adding a quarter cup of water at a time to the mixing dough until a pliable, smooth and non sticky consistency is reached.

If the dough is too firm, you need to add a bit more water, and also 2 more tablespoons of oil. If the dough is too soft or wet, add a bit more flour, even if you have to go over the 17 cup limit somewhat. In general, there will be about 5 cups of water total. Climates, different flours, and different yeasts all make a vast difference in this stage.

Grease your hands or a large plastic spatula with a fine layer of oil. Scrape down sides of bowl and mix the very bottom of the bowl to ensure that all the flour is well mixed into your dough, and that it is uniform in texture all around. You may need to add a bit more oil to the bottom of the bowl before remixing in order to keep the dough from becoming too sticky.

In general, in order to keep your dough pliable, non-sticky, and smooth, use small amounts of oil on the outside of the dough, NOT extra flour. Too much flour dries out the dough in the long run, whereas the fine layer of oil keeps it from sticking and makes it easier to work with, helps it rise better, and enhances its overall taste.

Cover bowl with dough inside, do not remove from mixer yet, and let rise in bowl for 10 minutes.

Uncover and knead, with a drop more oil, for another 5 minutes.

For added smoothness, you can cover the dough one more time for 10 minutes, and then knead by hand the final time for another 5-10 minutes until smooth and workable. Just look at how much nicer that same messy, ugly dough appears now!

Grease your hands lightly and remove dough from mixing bowl. If you are not shaping challahs until later on in the day or, if you chose to make the dough at night in order to shape and bake it the next morning, place dough in a very large garbage bag and take out all the air from the bag. Tie at the end, giving dough plenty of space to rise and place in fridge. Remove from fridge 30-45 minutes before ready to shape.

If you are shaping right away, leave the dough in the garbage bag, or covered well with plastic, on the counter for 1 hour before shaping. It will rise at least double its size...

My mother gave me this recipe after she ate it by the home of a family friend. It's filled with great taste and good-for-you grains...

2 ounces / 50 grams fresh yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 cup oatmeal (preferably not instant oatmeal)
1/2 cup untoasted wheat germ
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 tablespoon salt
5-7 cups sifted white flour (finely ground pastry whole wheat flour can be substituted here)
3 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup dark raisins
1/2 cup white raisins
1-2 eggs for glazing the breads
Sesame seeds for sprinkling on the breads

Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this bubble up.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: the oatmeal, wheat germ, ground flax, salt, and 5 cups of the flour. Set aside.

In the mixer bowl, combine the eggs, oil, honey and sugar and beat well. Then add the yeast mixture. Add the rest of the warm water. Start adding in the dry ingredients, about 2 cups at a time and start to knead in the mixer. While you are adding in the dry ingredients, add in the raisins also. Knead well until not sticky. Now is where the extra 2-1/2 cups of flour comes in. Keep adding flour in, small bits at a time, until the dough is more uniform and comes away from the sides of the bowl. It will remain somewhat sticky; this is fine. Turn off the mixer.

Grease another bowl and turn the dough out into this bowl. Turn it over once so all sides of the dough are covered with a light coating of oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a towel and leave it to rise in a warm area for at least 2 hours, until double in size.

Punch down the dough and shape into rolls. Cover the rolls with plastic again and let them rise for about 1 hour.

Twenty minutes before the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

Brush the oatmeal bread rolls with the egg glaze and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until the top of the rolls are light golden brown and the bottom of the rolls are firm and golden as well.

Optional Idea:
To give it a different flavor, try adding in 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon to the dough when adding in the dry ingredients.