Challah!

Video by Jake J. Thomas

Featuring Julia Fogelson, Caroline Carpenter, Jake J. Thomas,

and of course, Luck.

    

     While flipping through all the various baking books I have, I came across Challah several times.  I have always admired this bread, the way it is beautifully browned with pale seams and the gorgeous braided pattern it is baked in, but have never attempted to make it.  I think I have been intimidated by it in the past but after making it, I know that it looks more difficult than it actually is.  While I was thinking about making Challah, my friend Julia messaged me and shared a Challah recipe with me from her friend, and asked if I would make it with her.  I was very excited to do it, especially when she mentioned that she liked to add dark chocolate nibs.  After confirming plans with Julia, I came into the kitchen to discover that Caroline was also in a baking state of mind and was getting ready to make an apple pie.  It was the first apple pie she had made by herself but had been watching her mom bake them since as long as she could remember.  I helped her with which pie crust to make and started to get excited about making the Challah and having two wonderfully sweet baked goods to eat later that cold, rainy night.

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     I should probably mention that Julia and Luck are seriously in love with each other.  Luck was so excited to see Julia, and was jumping around in circles, smacking her tail into the cabinets, doors, and legs of everything in her radius (even though Jake had walked her about 15 miles earlier that day).  After they said hello and got reacquainted, Julia and I set out to make the Challah.  The recipe we used was from one of Julia’s friends and was a very relaxed recipe, so different from the one I had seen in Martha Stewart’s cookbook.  The recipe said things like “after the yeast is partying,” ”let cool until doesn’t burn your finger,” and “mix in the salty eggs” and I was excited to try it out.  The bread is prepared in a similar fashion to other breads I have made, but the dough was incredibly sticky.  I hoped that no one was noticing the difficulty I was having kneading the dough but I started to panic a little bit.  Luckily, Julia was busy with Luck and Caroline was playing the guitar and by the time they came into the kitchen to check on the dough, I had incorporated enough flour to get it under control.  We set the dough to rise, and Caroline showed me how to play dominos.

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     After letting the dough rise again, and adding the chocolate nibs, I kneaded the dough until it was smooth; not too dry, not too sticky.  We divided the dough in half and got ready to braid.  Julia divided her half into four pieces, rolling each into a log shape.  Then she attached them all at the top and began to braid, taking the far right strand, placing it over two, and under one, and repeating until the end where they are all pinched together.  We brushed them with egg wash and put them in the oven.  When the Challah was done, we immediately sliced into it and burned our fingers eating the delicious eggy, doughy, soft, sweet bread.  It was wonderful, and still good the next day (although there was hardly any left).

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Challah Recipe
Adapted from Julia's Recipe

2 cups milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar per
2 packages active dry yeast
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. salt
6 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp. cold water
Poppy seeds if desired
Dark chocolate bits

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter, milk, and sugar in a saucepan over low heat until homogeneous.

2.  Transfer the milk mixture to a large bowl.  Dissolve the yeast and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until it is activated.

3.  While the yeast cultures, whip up the eggs and salt in a separate bowl.  Once the yeast is cultured, add the egg/salt mixture and mix to combine.

4.  Add the flour, one cup at a time and mix until mostly combined.  Empty the bowl onto a well floured board and sprinkle a layer of flour on top of the dough. Be prepared to use up to 2 cups of flour to knead the dough.

5. Knead until fresh to the touch, not too sticky or too dry.  Add the chocolate bits and knead until fully incorporated and evenly distributed. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

6.  Punch the dough down, and transfer back to the cutting board to cut in half.  Separate each ball of dough into 4 logs.  Braid by attaching the four logs at the top and pulling the far right strand over two and under the last.  Continue doing this until you have reached the end, pinch the ends to seal.

7.  Place the braided dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet and let rise another 30 minutes.  Mix the egg wash and apply to the bread, making sure to get in the cracks of the braid.

8.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, and checking to make sure it is baking evenly and not burning.  Remove from the oven and slice immediately, or let cool and store in plastic wrap.