For better or for worse, my week babysitting my nieces is over. It was a long week but in the end I'm glad that I was able to help and bond with my sister and nieces. I spent the weekend with my parents in upstate New York but not before baking some challah (don't worry, I stole some to try!) and apple pie for my sister. I told you this wouldn't be the last time you saw challah on my blog, and this probably isn't either. As for the apple pie, that's for an upcoming post. I frequently like to experiment with new recipes and I decided to oblige my brother-in-law MD this time who likes his challah on the sweeter, eggier side. Of course I turned to A Blessing of Bread (and you should too), my challah bible, if you will. This recipe I'm referring to is Doris Koplin's Sweet Challah. I doubled the small batch as a five pound recipe would have been way too much for her small family. I made the dough Thursday night and allowed it to rise overnight. I got up early Friday morning to braid and bake, which worked great as the dough rose perfectly and I didn't have to worry about it. The challah ended up being a lovely shade of yellow from the yolks, with a nice, soft, golden crust and a nice crumb. I was won over by this recipe even though I'm not much of an egg challah girl. It was sweet but not too sweet, eggy but not too eggy. I kept marvelling about how good it was. A great balance, really. A definite keeper for me. I made three large breads, two four stranded and one five, and four rolls, but the yield all depends on how you choose to shape them.
Doris Koplin's Sweet Challah
A Blessing of Bread
1 tbsp plus 1/4 tsp instant yeast
3 3/4 cups bread flour
3/4 cup warm water
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKtt8Txy6oNj5v8I1CTcmWprio_defy_Ss72b7rLh5z2F-jRx8vfmUHOcFv2xydwi3fmq72D5qfO_Di5QvVN9VJ4S_VqYonjn9yqM5tNpPiJ1HVYeH_J5m1cMUTF7S_TLeQX0jheKv4K0/s320/Doris+Koplin%27s+Sweet+Challah-+Yeast.JPG)
The yeast hydrating in the water. This time, I used active dry yeast.
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The yeast mixture and all of the other ingredients.
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Everything whisked together.
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The batter starting to come together...
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The dough resting.
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The dough ready for its overnight rest.
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The dough beautifully risen.
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The large breads braided and ready for proofing.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Bcnj4XBydIpH_b1ic9gf7FdnY_i-nAkxGX-slLCxaTDTnCcXYeLkVA61hOUTjvZ2ktb9Y6EXuFqnXTS1zr6fC0Y8yIuV59dyjFUzwnptLpvAqGOYnnsfTgLCIggqHzUQsr7M5CYi99KO/s320/Doris+Koplin%27s+Sweet+Challah-+Rolls.JPG)
The rolls shaped and ready for proofing.
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Baked and beautiful #1.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXNoowoRX8kD0883DVbHdsyr9QFY790enU6SmuOPz1__eOLaMpMzxAXQlWqZd2vb5yBHWK9UferTbzwQg4gnyshmsWBem5uoWpXYAhFQxy2puflwd_8fgRED-4I4cUnI9S1x7GVkLVi89N/s320/Doris+Koplin%27s+Sweet+Challah-+Baked+Rolls.JPG)
Baked and beautiful #2.
Check out this week's
Yeastspotting over at Wild Yeast Blog. Enjoy!
4 comments:
Beautiful braids! Really, really lovely, and I bet they tasted fantastic.
Very cool step by step. Wish I could get over my fear of braiding dough.
Your braids are just perfect. I've never been able to do a 4-braid like that!
Have you found a resource for bread flour in Israel?
I've only seen the regular flour 2kg bags there.
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