rich yeast bread: golden challah

in the jewish tradition, true challah bread is parve, meaning it can’t absorb the taste of milk during cooking. hence, the following recipe has vegetable oil as the added fat to this rich dough, not butter. unlike lean yeast bread, rich bread has added fat. as a result, the end product stores much longer and is more tender and luscious. “fat of course adds flavor, and it also weakens gluten, making the product more tender,” Chef Kim said before we headed to the kitchen that night. she pulled her legs up onto the table to reveal patterned socks with little birds and sheep all over them.

Chef then talked about the role of washes on the outside of breads, which can be anything from melted butter and eggs to milk and water. Each one creates a different result. The egg wash, which we use for challah, creates the customary shiny coating and lovely, deep color on the crust. this is a great ego-booster for the baker when she sets out her fresh loaf for friends to taste, as the bread’s sheen is cause alone for ooh’s and ah’s from all before they even try it. on the other hand, butter and milk washes create a clean, matte finish to the end product (by slowing caramelization on the crust), which is ideal for many dinner rolls or pan au lait (milk bread). don’t neglect any little nook or cranny of the bread’s surface when washing or you will end up with patches of discoloration. more importantly, when using an egg wash, don’t let the egg pool in any nook or cranny, or you will end up with little bits of scrambled egg on your bread.

challah bread

yield: one loaf

8 oz. water, about 100 degrees F
0.75 oz. fresh yeast (half that amount if using dried)
1 lb. 4 oz. bread flour
4 oz. egg yolks
1.5 oz. sugar
0.13 oz. malt syrup
2 t. salt
2 oz. vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten (for egg wash)
1/4 c. poppy or sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

in a large bowl, mix together the water and yeast. add a little bread flour, the egg yolks, sugar, malt syrup, salt and vegetable oil. note: don’t add the salt too soon; it will kill your yeast. but if you forget it altogether, not only will your bread not taste right, but it also will turn out pale after it’s baked. gradually add more flour and stir in the bowl until it is ready to handle with your hands. flour the counter with more of your bread flour, and scrape the dough out onto the counter. begin kneading it by making a quarter turn and folding it with one hand, then pushing down and away with the other. sprinkle more flour on the counter and on the dough as needed so it doesn’t stick. this rhythmic motion is what develops the gluten in your dough. you will know it is ready for fermenting when you make a “belly button” in the dough and it springs back completely.

place the dough in a bowl large enough to allow it to double in size. set it in a warm, fairly humid place to ferment–ideally 1 1/2 hours at about 80 degrees F. cover it so your bread doesn’t develop a crusty skin.

after fermenting, flop the dough out onto the counter. pull up on one side of the dough and fold it over the center. press down on the folded portion to expel carbon dioxide that has formed form fermentation. repeat this on the other side, and turn the dough over so the seams are on the bottom.

weigh the dough, and then cut it into four equal parts, weighing again to be sure they are the same size. next, with the seam sides on the bottom, shape each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. stretch the top surface tight and smooth over the top of the dough. you are essentially stretching the gluten on the outside of the dough into a smooth layer or “skin,” gathering the extra pieces at the bottom until it looks like a round balloon. this can be done by placing the dough on a clean counter free of flour and pushing up and slightly to the right on the bottom right side, and down and to the left on the top left side. this motion forces the dough into a smooth sphere, pulling the excess pieces toward the bottom as they stick slightly to the counter. next, let the four dough spheres rest for 10 to 15 minutes. this relaxes the gluten and makes for easier shaping later.

now, you will make your four bread strands. lay out a dough sphere, stretched side down, and flatten it out by punching down on it softly. fold it into thirds like a letter–it should now resemble a rectangle. starting at one end, create a crease in the top-center of the dough with the side of your hand, gather dough from the bottom between the thumb and forefinger on your other hand and pinch up an inward, creating a seam along the top side. be sure to secure the seam as you go! repeat this until the seam runs the length of the dough. now flatten it and pinch again. flatten and pinch one more time.

now, while pushing considerably on the dough to remove any air pockets, roll it from the center out. repeat all these steps until you have four long “strands” of dough before you.

to braid your loaf, lay the four strands out vertically in front of you. pinch the top ends (furthest from you) together as securely as you can. it is easiest to number them 1 through 4 from left to right.

1 2 3 4

now, take strand 4 and move it over strand 2.

1 4 2 3

then, move strand 1 over strand 3.

4 2 3 1

move strand 2 over strand 3.

4 3 2 1

this is your basic formula for 4-strand braids. repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 above until the braid is finished. it will look like this:

place your lovely braided dough on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, and put it back in the warm, dark place, covered if needed to prevent drying on the surface, and allow it to roughly double in size one more time. once it’s proofed, brush it thoroughly with the egg wash. you can add poppy seeds or traditional sesame seeds for garnish if you like at this point.

proofed, washed and speckled

slide the bread into a 400 degree F oven, and bake until the crust is golden brown and shiny. the bread should feel light for its size.

take it out, and allow it to cool on a rack before storing. if you don’t plan to eat it right away, this bread freezes beautifully if you wrap it in parchment and tightly sealed plastic.