today i will share with you how i made my challah go from this to this using these five easy tips
say goodbye to dense underbaked challah and say hello to fluffy delicious pull apart challah this
video will be the first part of a five part series on how to make the perfect challah every time
don't forget to subscribe and turn on the notification bell not to miss any part of the
serie so let's jump into it the first step is to preheat your oven every oven is different but one
rule stays it has to be at the right temperature to bake your challah evenly it is good to invest
in a small oven thermometer that you can find on amazon i will link the one that i use in
the description box below in a bowl put 95 grams or 6 tablespoons of warm water 4 grams of sugar
add 8 grams or 2 rounded teaspoons of yeast mix everything together and set it aside for
8 to 10 minutes until it bubbles while your yeast is proofing mix by hand or by mixer
500 grams or 4 cups and 1 tablespoon of sifted bread flour it's important to use bread flour
as it has a high gluten content and will allow for your bread to be fluffy and airy add your
salt about 10 grams or one rounded teaspoon your sugar eight grams or two teaspoons you can
easily double the amount of sugar to make a sweet challah bread if you want add your eggs one by one
don't forget to check them and mix them in between each egg it's important to incorporate them one by
one to create pockets of eggs that will distribute evenly in your dough add the oil
then mix
add your yeast only if it has formed a cake if your yeast has improved properly start again
with another batch of yeast mix everything completely the third tip is to add the least
amount of water possible to your dough so the last amount of water only pour a quarter of the amount
mix for two or three minutes and if your dough is still dry add a quarter of the rest of the water
so continue the process until your dough feels crumbly but humid to touch mix for
8 to 10 minutes and if you're doing it by hand push the dough fold it turn it 90 degrees and
repeat then let it rise cover 20 minutes in your mixer or in a bowl after that time you're going to
see that your challah dough will be already more supple and fluffy mix for two to three minutes
shape your dough in a ball by pulling it towards you then place it in a greased bowl
then finally cover with a plastic bag or a plastic wrap leave your challah dough
to rise in a warm and humid area of your house the oven with the light turn on is one option
or a hot water pan at the bottom of your oven is another one proof your challah for an hour and a
half to two hours until it doubles in size don't overproof your challah because the yeast can die
and your challah will stay flat and dense uncover your challah and degas it gently
you should have about 1.2 kilogram of dough the tip number four is to weigh each piece of dough
to make sure that your strands are equal to have a beautiful challah and an even baking time your
pieces of dough should weigh about 120 grams roll your dough in the balls cover them with plastic
and let them rest for five minutes flatten your ball and use your rolling pin to take out
all the air bubbles from the dough roll it onto itself to form a cigar pinch the seams together
and then the ends roll your dough until you feel a resistance about 30 centimeters or so
look at the difference between a strand rolled with a rolling pin and without cover your strands
for two to three minutes and by the time you will have rolled all your strands they will be ready
to be rolled one more time and will allow you to shape your challah with ease as the gluten will
be fully relaxed and it will help your challah not to break nor to crack when rising to shape
your challah here we're going to do a five strand challah gather the strands at the top you can put
a way to hold them together then braid your right side like a regular three strand challah the one
from the right goes over to the middle then the one from the left goes over to the middle and
now focus on the left side of your challah and consider it as being a three-strand challah again
take the outer left strand bring it over to the middle then the far right strand over to
the middle and repeat the process until you have completed your challah design
tuck or cut the edges of your challah now take a moment to admire your challah your work of art
let your challah rise 40 minutes covered do not be tempted to proof it longer because your challah
can be over-proofed and will deflate when baking for the egg wash there are different techniques
so the foolproof moment is to apply it just before baking your challah as per the egg wash itself it
depends on what you prefer as per challah shine my challah is to mix one egg an eighth of a teaspoon
of salt and one tablespoon of unsweetened almond milk apply your egg wash in every nook and cranny
then apply your favorite topping and finally our tip number five is once that you have
put your challah in the oven leave it alone DON'T PEEK!!! after 30 minutes the top should be golden
and the internal temperature should be around 190 degrees fahrenheit let it cool on a cooling
rack enjoy the best foolproof most easy challah recipe i'm looking forward to seeing you on the
next episode of this challah serie if you are here until the end please write in the comment
fluff is fluff so i know i'm not alone and you are also excited for this challah serie
i will invite you to watch the egg wash video and the braiding video that my daughters did
as a follow up to this video until next time stay safe stay blessed and don't forget to FRUM IT UP