March 17, 2014 - 2:42pm
5 lb Wedding Challah
I am going to make a special ceremonial wedding challah for my niece's wedding. I had some nice hints from the Jewish food group, but thought perhaps members of this forum might be able to give me additional hints. I will be using an internal thermometer to monitor baking, but I am wondering how long I should expect it to take to bake. 5 lbs is a whole lotta dough! At what temperature would you suggest. I have seen suggestions for 300 degrees F to 350 degrees.
Would appreciate suggestions for a successful bake! I am a bit nervous because I want it to be beautiful and delicious.
Thank you.
Caryn B.
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Caryn, here's a quote from Ginsberg and Berg's "Inside the Jewish Bakery," p. 55: "It's important to remember that these larger challahs bake longer and at lower temperatures than standard challahs in order to bring their internal temperagture to 205F/97C without cracking or burning the crust. For loaves in the 4 to 5 lb./1.75 to 2.0 kg. range, baking at 325F/160C for about 60 minutes is usually sufficient. For even larger loaves, reduce the oven temperature to 300F/150C and expect to bake for around 90 minutes." In addition, I also suggest that you tent the top of the loaf loosely with foil when the challah starts to turn from medium to dark brown to prevent over-browning of the crust.
It's bound to be a show-stopper! Good luck,
Joy
even bigger! :)
I'm thinking about a wedding challah for my daughter. How much flour/raw dough will I need for 6-7 lbs of challah to serve? Will this be enough for 120 ceremonial servings?