Home-made challah

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  • #1538868
    jew boy2
    Participant

    what’s the best recipe for home-made challah?

    #1538962
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    Choose a cook book and try all the challah recipes printed there. The one you like the most is the “best”.

    #1540612
    jew boy2
    Participant

    so cute!

    #1540681
    WolfishMusings
    Participant

    If I remember after Shabbos, I’ll post the recipe we use in our household. My wife, myself and my son have all made it multiple times.

    The Wolf

    #1540746
    yehudayona
    Participant

    Clearly it depends what kind of challah you like. I find most commercial challah too mushy and too sweet.

    #1541012
    jew boy2
    Participant

    WolfishMusings ???

    #1541193
    jew boy2
    Participant

    wolf??

    #1550063
    piguyman
    Participant

    no eegs or sweets…dont like mezonot challah

    #1550084
    jew boy2
    Participant

    nuuuu any recipes???

    #1550135
    DovidBT
    Participant

    Mix yeast with warm water.
    Add flour to produce dough.
    Knead dough.
    Wait for dough to rise.
    Bake dough in hot oven.
    Eat.

    #1550935
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    DovidBT: Any specific measurements?

    #1551480
    DovidBT
    Participant

    DovidBT: Any specific measurements?

    Of course. I’m doing this from memory, so the numbers might be a little off:
    Four cups yeast, six quarts water, two tablespoons flour.
    Knead for 30 seconds.
    Rise time: eight hours.
    Bake at 500 deg. F for 90 minutes.

    #1551915
    jew boy2
    Participant

    no-way….

    #1552421
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    2 tablespoons flour? 4 cups yeast? rise for 8 hours? what’s there to rise? Bake at 500 degrees for 90 minutes? Sounds like a recipe for charcoal, not challah.

    #1552539
    I. M. Shluffin
    Participant

    @DovidBT – I think the rise time is 9 hours, not 8. Other than that, your memory seems to be pretty on point.

    #1552542
    I. M. Shluffin
    Participant

    Also the Bais Yaakov 2 cookbook has a fantastic recipe.

    #1552623
    WinnieThePooh
    Participant

    I feel bad that the OP has not gotten a real recipe, so I will give mine for sweet, whole wheat egg challah (original recipe was for regular flour, but I switched to 80% WW and can’t tell the difference. actually, family likes it better).
    Caveat: this works great in Israel, but from experience I have found that for some strange reason, converting between recipes in the US and Israel doesn’t always work- either flour is different, or climate affects rising, or something else makes a difference.
    Hope I remember this by heart correctly- but it has to be more on target than DovidBT’s “recipe”

    2 bags 1 kilo 80% pre-sifted whole wheat flour (or 14 cups regular flour)
    2 c sugar
    2 tbsp sugar
    mix together and make well
    Add to well:
    4 Tbsp dry yeast
    1 Tbsp sugar
    1 cup warm water
    Wait at least 10 min, until it gets very bubbly
    Add 4 eggs
    1 C oil
    2 1/4-1/2 water- start with less and add if needed.
    Knead well.
    Cover and let rise in warm spot 1 hour. Punch down and let rise another hour.
    Shape into challahs, brush with beaten egg and let rise again 1h.
    bake for about 30-40 min at 180C (350F) depending on size of challahs, until golden brown on top.

    Note: this recipe is large enough to take challa with a brocha, but too large to fit into one mixer bowl. I divide it into 2 bowls, kneed each with dough hook, and then transfer both to a large basin, kneed the batches together by hand so it becomes one and then let rise.
    Note: for especially fluffy challah, particularly for WW, I read that one should add dough enhancer. I don’t have a commercial one so instead I improvise and use things I already have in the house- a pinch of ginger and about 1 Tbsp of potato starch, and I really see a difference!

    #1552644
    Teal
    Participant

    Jew boy2, here is my recipe, it’s original from Devora Heller famous for Challos. I adapted recipe a little. It’s delicious!!
    6lbs flour, 3.5 oz fresh yeast, 3/4c sugar, 1/2 c oil, 2 whole eggs, 2 yolks, 6 c luke warm water, 3 T kosher salt. Good luck!

    #1552640
    Shmiras Haloshon
    Participant

    WTP, it depends on your mixer. I make 16 cups of flour every week and it fits into my Bosch quite nicely, though I can’t leave it there to rise. I mix it all at once in the mixer and then transfer it to a larger bowl.

    #1552916
    jew boy2
    Participant

    is a special blade required, or it doesn’t matter…

    #1552998
    WinnieThePooh
    Participant

    Shimaras Halashon- of course. I have a KitchenAid. Somehow I doubt that Jewboy2 has a challah-grade mixer, especially based on his last question.
    Jewboy2 – blades are for food processors. Use the dough hook if your mixer has one, not the standard beaters. You can also use your hands.
    Recommended reading on the topic before you start: Way Too Much Challah Dough by G. Shulman.

    #1554072
    yehudayona
    Participant

    Don’t be a wimp. Mix and knead it by hand.

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