The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

This week in baking Part Deux: Hamelman's Challah....or No Need to Hit the Gym Today!

WendySusan's picture
WendySusan

This week in baking Part Deux: Hamelman's Challah....or No Need to Hit the Gym Today!

We usually have some Challah in the freezer and we like to make weekend french toast with...but we were all out.

My go-to recipe for Challah has been the Ciril Hitz recipe we were given in our October bread baking class.  I even used it for the Easter bread basket.  Since I bought Hamelman's Bread, I decided to use his recipe.

This recipe calls for high gluten flour which I actually had on hand....if not I would have replaced it with bread flour.  Sir Lancelot was called to duty along with the bread flour, eggs and yolks, canola oil, sugar and an additional couple tablespoons of honey.  In actuality I should have replaced a couple of the sugar tablespoons with honey but I just added more...hey...food for the yeast and a slightly sweeter bread.

Hamelman's recipe doesn't require a sponge like Hitz so I piled all of the ingredients into the mixer bowl.  After the first three minutes on low I could smell the mixer bogging down.  I knew there was no way I was going to complete another five minutes on second speed.

I dumped out the bowl onto the counter and started working the dough.  There were still dried bits of flour and it was like trying to knead a deflated soccer ball and was very dry.

Inflexible dough...looks like a chicken doesn't it?
Inflexible dough...looks like a chicken doesn't it?

 

I added another quarter cup of water to the dough and worked it....and worked it....and worked it....no need to go to the gym today!  What a work out.

I kneaded and pushed and pulled and slapped and whacked and beat the crap out of that piece of dough.

 IMG_0748

Eventually it started looking like what I was used to seeing and was stretching pretty good when slapped down.  This took about 10-15 minutes.

IMG_0749

Into the proofing box....my microwave with a cup of boiled water.  After an hour I punched down gently per the instructions and left it for another hour.

IMG_0751

At the end of the second hour, the dough was begging to be let out.

IMG_0753

It was beautifully flexible, stretchy, golden and worth the work out!  The turned out extremely extensible.  After an initial rolling and then a rest, it stretched very well.

In Hamelman's book he has a number braiding examples.   

IMG_0757

This one is called the Winston but I decided to leave it flat.

IMG_0758

This used 6 strands and I took the other three, braided them and curled those into a ball.

IMG_0754

 

Back into the proofing box for the requisite time while I run to the grocery store because I used up all the eggs!

Baked for 30 minutes at 380 turning and swapping the trays half way and we have some nice looking loaves.  And it was delicious!  The small round one will be eaten now and the long large one cut in half and frozen.

Also on the agenda today is a variation of Hamelman's Vermont Sourdough with Whole Grains....done the 1.2.3 way...its bulk fermenting now but in a couple hours will be put into its cold overnight slumber so we have fresh bread tomorrow morning!

Happy Baking.

Wendy

 

Comments

AbeNW11's picture
AbeNW11 (not verified)

That Challah looks delicious and love the braiding. You brought back memories of my youth. We would make French bread out of Challah Saturday nights. 

Great blog. 

dabrownman's picture
dabrownman

if i don't have any hot cross buns in the freezer for the same thing - both work great.  Love your braiding on this one and the workout was definitely worth it since the end result is just beautiful.  Has to taste great too!  Well done

  
Happy baking Wendy