Parmesan Pesto Challah Bread Recipe - Went Here 8 This (2024)

FAQs

Why is my challah bread hard? ›

If your dough is STILL too hard: This can happen if you used too much flour by accident or if you are using whole wheat flour that has a higher bran content. Make a hole in the center of your dough by pulling it open with your hands. Pour some very warm water and a teaspoon of oil into the hole.

Challah is soft and full of flavour. It's a bit like brioche, but made with oil, not butter, so is basically your dream white bread, especially if you don't do dairy. It makes the most incredible french toast.

Challah bread normally has a couple eggs in the dough, partly for flavor. If you're making a sweet challah, such as cinnamon twist challah, it may have milk in the dough as well (plus cinnamon, of course!). Challah with no eggs is, generally, rather bland.

Let It Rise Twice

The first rise will take about 1-2 hours, depending on the weather. A great trick for letting dough rise in a warm environment is to preheat the oven to 200F/90C, then turn it off and let the dough rise inside. The second rise should be after shaping the Challah, and takes about 45-60 minutes.

Myrna's original recipe calls for all-purpose flour, and you can substitute that here. But I find bread flour gives the challah a nice chew without making it tough, and also helps the braided loaf maintain its shape after baking. For some novice challah makers, that braid can seem like the hardest part.

Amount of flour: The key to a soft loaf that isn't dense is to use as little flour as possible. I start with 930 grams of flour and add up to 70 more grams based on what the dough needs. The amount of liquid in the dough will vary from loaf to loaf because “large” eggs are similar but not uniform in volume.

The term “challah” is applied more widely to mean any bread used in Jewish rituals. On the eve of Shabbat, two loaves are placed on the table to reference the Jewish teaching that a double portion of manna fell from heaven on Friday to last through the Saturday Shabbat.

Name and origins

The term challah in Biblical Hebrew meant a kind of loaf or cake.

In place of sugar, honey or maple syrup provide sweetness and moisture. Olive oil imparts a flavorful, herbaceous note to the bread — you can use a neutral oil, too, but the flavor of the former is truly something special. The focus on egg yolks, rather than eggs, ensures a tender, chewy crumb.

If the area is too warm, bread will rise too fast and begin cooking before the yeast has finished acting. This will impart a "yeasty" taste to the dough that will be transferred to the finished baked loaf. Using old ingredients (rancid nuts, "old" shortening) will cause yeast breads to taste old or have an "off" taste.

Can you let challah rise too long? ›

Overrising the first rise, which is when the dough is still just a dough, can occur. Usually if it overrose just a bit, say, for an hour extra in a cold kitchen, it doesnt really matter. You simply punch it back down and go on to the shaping.

How do you know when your bread is done? Follow the allotted bake time in your recipe. Otherwise, you can go based on look and feel. The crust on the challah should be a medium-dark brown, and when you lift up the loaf and tap the bottom, it should sound like a hollow thud.

Allow the dough to rest and rise for 8–10 hours—overnight is perfect! Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Instead of letting it rise at room temperature on the counter, place the dough in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap, or place it in a large, covered container. Make sure the dough is in a large enough bowl or container and has plenty of room to rise, because it will. Refrigerate it overnight.

The best baking temperature for *most* challahs is about 190°C / 365-375°F.

Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place on a baking sheet, and pop it in the oven for 5-10 minutes. In the microwave: Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place it on a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for 10 seconds. Check and repeat if necessary.

If this is what's happening, it could be that your challahs have simply not been inside the oven long enough. If so, increase your baking time by another 5 minutes for your challahs. Don't worry if the tops get browner, that's fine.

Similar to the signs of over proofed dough, an over proofed loaf will be very flat, without much rise or retention of shaping. Over proofing destroys the structural integrity of the bread, so loaves that have gone over are unable to hold their shape in the oven.

I continued to knead my dough for just about 5 minutes to ensure I didn't over work the dough. Over kneading can make the dough feel tough, and the gluten structure will tear instead of stretching. If you're kneading by hand, really get your whole body into the process in order to work the gluten.