[Daniel Ronay, baker extraordinaire, shares with us his recipes for both water and egg challahs. Photos by Daniel Ronay. CS]
Dough Formulation
Bread in its simplest form, requires four ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt. Any other specialty breads can have ingredients added to enhance the flavor, color, softness retention, etc.
There are 2 main mixing methods I’ll tell you about. The 1st and easiest procedure used by bakers and homemakers alike, called the Straight Dough Method. The straight dough method is a single step process in which all the ingredients are mixed in a single batch. The dough is bulk fermented and can vary from 1-4 hours depending on conditions.
The 2nd method is called the Sponge and Dough. With the sponge and dough method, the major fermentation is done with a preferment called ,“the sponge”, in which normally 50-70% of the total dough flour is fermented as the preferment stage. Bulk fermentation can be 4 -6 hours, then the dough stage. Advantages of this method compared to straight dough: slightly lower yeast levels, yields bread with better flavor, optimum volume. The disadvantage, however, is its longer processing time in comparison.
Water Challah
16 oz or 454 grams – Water
.75 oz or 21 grams – Fresh yeast
28 oz or 794 grams – High Gluten Flour
.5 oz or 14 grams – Salt
.13oz or 4 grams – Malt Syrup (optional for crust color slight taste)
.5oz or 14 grams – Sugar
.5oz or 14 grams – Shortening or oil
Total weight 2 pounds 14 ounces
Mix about 10-12 min. Ferment @ 80 F. for 90 min. Make up 2 loaves Bake in 425 F. with steam. Easy way to make steam is put ice cubes in a pan on bottom of oven when you first start out.
Egg Challah
1.1 oz or 31 grams – Fresh Yeast
8oz or 227 grams – Water
3 0z or 85 grams – Sugar
.56 oz or 16 grams – Salt
4 oz or 112 grams – Oil
5 oz or 148 grams – Eggs
28oz or 794 grams – Eggs
Mix to development ferment @ 80 F. for 60-80 min Make up to 2-3 loaves proof for approx 45 min bake at 350F.
Daniel Ronay
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Maybe I’m missing something, but there does not seem to be much in the way of a recipe for the egg Challah. For example 2 portions of egg listed. Is the smaller portion for the coating? Is there any Kneading? Could you please provide a little more for those of us that are not super experienced?
Thanks,
Scott
Ps
The Challah looks incredible
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I have contacted Dan who promised to rewrite the instructions to make them simpler to follow. Next week on Wednesday, be’ezras Hashem, he will provide us with step by step instructions – text and photos – on braiding challah.
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I use other ingredients as well. Mine is a 15 cup recipe and I make several in advance.
6 cups of white organic flour
6 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3 cups Ancient Grains from King Arthur Flours – this is a mix of quinoa, sorghum, millet and amaranth flours.
I used to use just straight whole wheat flour but my bread was too heavy and better used as a weapon than a part of ushering in Shabbat.
I also use honey boosted with a little sugar. I use the sugar in the first step to ‘proof’ the yeast then add the honey when I make combine to start turning it into dough. Obviously, I am using the dough and sponge method.
I use this method since I have experience yeast suddenly not being active anymore even though it was not beyond the expiration date. Oy! was that a disaster!
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Oh man it looks so awesome!!!
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