Too many eggs
Hey guys,
I'm making smitten kitchen's challah for the fifth time for a Christmas social I have tomorrow night. Apart from the time that I overworked the strands to make the six braid bread look prettier (*sigh*), this recipe has turned out wonderfully every time.
Here is the recipe:
3 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (about 1 1/2 packages, 3/8 ounces or 11 grams)
1 tablespoon (13 grams) granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1/2 cup (118 ml) olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 large eggs
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (14 grams) table salt
8 to 8 1/2 cups (1000 to 1063 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins (about 70 grams) per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and drained
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling.
I started making the dough tonight and realized that I'd added four jumbo double-yolk eggs instead of four large eggs. I have no problem with it being more enriched, of course, because it is challah.
The problem lies in the fact that those jumbo eggs have more liquid in them than four large eggs. Here's what I did: I mixed the ingredients on stir speed in my KA mixer with a dough hook for less than a minute-- probably closer to 30 seconds while scraping the bowl twice. I pulled the sticky mess out of the bowl and kneaded a good 1/2 cup of extra flour by hand for ten minutes. I don't normally knead very much by hand. Is this excessive?
What should I do next time I'm faced with this issue?
I make a challah with 2 eggs and same amount of flour, and so on. And less yeast. I use 2 1/4 tsp. You do not need as much yeast--less yeast and longer rise really increases the flavor.
Try that.
There's almost always some adjustment required to get the dough consistency right, even when all measurements are precise and accurate.
Re: next time - mise en place. Have all of your ingredients at hand and check them against the recipe before starting. That almost always guarantees there won't be a "next time", barring a brain fart. If the worst happens, adjust on the fly as you did this time and trust what the dough tells you.
Paul
A lot of the patisserie recipes I do and mixes that bigger bakeries do specify eggs by weight. (or egg yolks or whites). I've even been in a kitchen where we made eggs by weighing out egg yolk and egg white (separately from cartons) to make a standard egg! I often buy trays of eggs of varying sizes, (for a discount) so going by weight helps me here.
This doesn't really help the small/domestic kitchen though - but if you've made something a few times before, you'll have a good feel for what it's like when mixing/kneading, so as you did, adding some more flour was the right thing to do. You'll have a bit more dough, but its probably not going to affect it in a way that many people would notice.
As Paul says though - "mise en place" - weigh/count everything before you start mixing. You'll see this on TV, etc. and its not just for show - It might make for a little more washing up, but can really help you keep track of everything.
-Gordon
Where in the world do you even buy eggs that are consistently double-yolked? Do they give the chickens fertility drugs?
Some chickens just do it - especially younger ones when they haven't gotten the hang of doing it properly yet... So some chicken egg farmers get to know what they look like and can often successfully sort them out (especially by "candling")
I used to keep chickens. They do the weirdest things - eggs without a shell for example. Eggs inside eggs. Eggs full of blood and other "bits" )-: ... always crack eggs into a bowl one at a time before adding into the main mix!!!
-Gordon
A job lot of large free range eggs reduced in Tesco between Xmas and New Year (they were reduced to 9p for a dozen because the crate had been damaged in transit) and so far, every single one has been a double yolker...
P.S. I normally get eggs from a friend who keeps chickens in exchange for home baked bread, but her chooks have gone on strike at the moment. They are currently being threatened with red wine and a crock pot - by my friend, might I add, not by me LOL
Hi everyone,
Thank you for the feedback. I've been following along through email and now I've finally had a chance to reply.
For those of you who suggested it was mise-en-place, you may have read the title only. I had my items laid out in front of me before I began. The issue was that I assumed four large eggs = four extra large eggs = four jumbo eggs, when it really equaled 3 jumbo eggs. I learned this after I'd thrown the eggs in. We have three eggs left and I plan to purchase only large eggs in the future. If non-commercial bread recipes gave egg weights, I'd definitely be in heaven!
I also forgot to add: I used a third less yeast and did the second half of the bulk fermentation (after folding gently) in the refrigerator overnight. It had perfectly doubled at 6:00 am. This bread yields two loaves, which may also explain the quantity of eggs.
The bread turned out well and the guests at the Christmas social seemed to really enjoy it-- especially after my coworker had told many of them that I'd baked it early in the morning. I was a little disappointed because I knew I hadn't served my best bread. At least the bread made wonderful french toast this morning.