November 13, 2019 - 2:55pm
Internal temperature for challah
I regularly bake challah using this recipe, which I worked out by trial and error. One thing I've noticed is that to get the extra-moist, almost doughy texture I prefer, I need to pull it at just about 165°F, cooler than any published bread recipe I've ever seen. Is this just a matter of taste? Or is there something actually wrong here?
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Internal temperature 165F = 74.9C is quite low even for the rich-dough bread (vs recommended 180 - 190°F (82- 88°C) and 190–210°F (88–99°C) for regular bread). But if you like the texture of the crumb like that (underbaked), then go for it.
Some bakeries might slightly under bake their rich bread just because the customers prefer softer and moist bread. However, some don't like gummy-like texture.
If you just don't like thicker/harder crust, you can cover the dough in the first half of baking time.