# Challah



## carnivore (Feb 17, 2004)

*Challah*
4 3/4 to 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups water
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp pareve margarine
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 tsp poppy seeds
1.  In a large mixing bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour and the yeast;  set aside.  In a medium saucepan heat and stir the water, sugar, margarine, and salt to about 120 - 130 deg.  Add wet mixture to the dry mixture, along with eggs.  Beat with an electric mixer on low-medium for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly.  Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

2.  Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough.  Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly greased bowl, turn once.  Cover and let rise in a warm place till double in size (aout an hour)

3.  Punch dough down & divide into thirds.  Cover; let rest 10 minutes.  Roll each third into an 18 inch rope.  Place ropes on a large baking sheet 1 inch apart and braid.  Cover; let rise 30 minutes or till nearly double.

4.  Preheat an oven to 375 deg.  Brush braid with egg yolk and sprinkle with poppy seeds.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, covering loosely with foil the last 10 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and cool on a wire rack.


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## kitchenelf (Feb 17, 2004)

Thanks for the recipe carnivore.  I made this one time somewhere in my 20's and it turned out pretty good!


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## oldcoot (Feb 20, 2004)

Carnivore, those braided loaves we recently made apparently were mighty close to "Challah" bread.  That recipe is the typical white bread recipe plus the addition of eggs, as you said.

I have often added eggs to my white breads (since only a small amount of egg is needed for  glazing the loaf, didn't want to waste the rest), but have found very little difference in either flavor, appearance, or texture.  But maybe that's just me.


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## northernMIcook (Feb 20, 2004)

Oldcoot:
 I have found the same thing when I make my white bread...one egg doesnt do too much. I think it may make it a bit richer but hard to tell. When I make rolls I add 2 eggs to the dough and a little extra sugar...that makes a difference in them. 
 Something else I wanted to tell you. I tried to make ciabatta the other day and every recipe I found made two loaves. Maybe that was why you had such a large "slipper". I didnt end up with large enough holes like the ones in the bakery but reading up on it I found out that the dough needs to be very wet. This is what makes the large holes. The dough should be so wet that you cant really knead it on the counter. You should have to use a mixer. Im going to give it another try. The taste was excellent (used a starter) and texture nice too. JUST GOT TO GET THOSE HOLES :?


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## kitchenelf (Feb 20, 2004)

MIcook - what kind of starter did you use?  I don't "do" bread and ciabatta is one of my favorites.


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## northernMIcook (Feb 20, 2004)

Kitchenelf: 
I used the starter and sponge from the following website
http://recipes.chef2chef.net/recipe-archive/50/267436.shtml
I used Four Roses (regular) flour instead of rye in the starter (only because I didnt want to go out and buy any).   

I make bread almost daily and this is because I use a food processor...no kneading and it's so speedy.
If you want a really EASY bread recipe here's one:

Italain White Bread

1 1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 cup water (110-115 degree F)
3 cups flour (regular or bread flour)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Stir yeast into water. Let it sit about 5-10 minutes. 
Put flour and salt in food processor, pulse to mix. When yeast mixture is ready, turn on food processor and slowly add yeast mixture and olive oil. Stop processing and check to see if dough is too soft or too stiff. You can add a little more warm water or flour depending. Turn on processor and let it run for a minute or so. It should be forming a soft ball. Check to make sure dough is not to sticky or dry. Process until dough is smooth (this is the kneading). This could take another 30 seconds or so...depends on humidity, etc. You are done when dough feels smooth and soft (my mother always says...like a babys butt). 
Put dough into a oiled bowl and cover with a towel. Let it double, takes about an hour in a warm spot. Punch down and form into a loaf (flatten, roll up jelly roll style and tuck ends in). Put on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Let it rise again uncovered, for another hour. 
Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes.


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## kitchenelf (Feb 20, 2004)

THANKS!!  I'll have to try it next week.  We really, really like Panzanella Salad and they say the best is made with unsalted Italian bread.  I guess I could try leaving the salt out to see how it was.


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## northernMIcook (Feb 21, 2004)

Kitchenelf: I have done the bread without the salt (by mistake :roll: ). It turned out fine, but kind of blah. We ate the bread with a salty cheese and it was great.


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## oldcoot (Feb 23, 2004)

Carnivore, I'm sorry to be so slow in answering - somehow I missed your post.  (I'll use my advancing years as an excuse)

So far, I can't find anything special about Ciabatta.  Tastes like plain white bread to me. 

That big hole thing is a combintation, I thinnk, of very wet dough, allowing it to rise to maximum, and possibly the kneading method.  Something I saw suggested ciabatta is kneaded by folding end-to-end, stretching, flattening, and folding again, repeatedly.  That may entrap rather large air bubbles in the dough, which the steam for the wet dough would tend to expand.  But then, I have gotten pretty good sized hole - over an inch long - just by letting a soft dough  rise to its maximum.

northernNIcook, I like that "baby's butt" analogy - perfect!


I found that holding back th dry yeast until everything else (except half the flour) has been thoroughlly mixed with hotter than recommended liquid works well.  The extra heat warms everything to a temp the yeast really like.  Then by putting the yeast in at that point and mixing well again, before adding more flour, the yeast is well distributed throu the mixture.  With everything warm, by the time you've finished kneading with thed ough hook, the dough does, indeed, feel a lot like a baby's backside.  (And it rises a whole lot faster, too!.)


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