Garlic Rosemary Challah Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my homemade challah so dense? ›

Amount of flour: The key to a soft loaf that isn't dense is to use as little flour as possible.

If your dough is STILL too hard: This can happen if you used too much flour by accident or if you are using whole wheat flour that has a higher bran content. Make a hole in the center of your dough by pulling it open with your hands. Pour some very warm water and a teaspoon of oil into the hole.

The following recipe is the one I currently love. The technique may seem strange but it is very forgiving which is great for everyone: especially people who aren't as comfortable baking bread. The process involves two long room temperature rises: the first, 8-10 hours and the second, 4-5 hours.

Make it ahead: Prepare the loaf up to the point where it's braided and on the pan. Tent it with greased plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Next morning, remove the dough from the refrigerator (keep it covered). Let it warm and rise at room temperature for 60 minutes before baking as directed.

Myrna's original recipe calls for all-purpose flour, and you can substitute that here. But I find bread flour gives the challah a nice chew without making it tough, and also helps the braided loaf maintain its shape after baking. For some novice challah makers, that braid can seem like the hardest part.

Add Sugar

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

Usually if it overrose just a bit, say, for an hour extra in a cold kitchen, it doesnt really matter. You simply punch it back down and go on to the shaping. However, if the dough is left out for a long time, unrefrigerated, it can spoil, especially in the summertime.

Be careful not to over proof your loaves; if they proof too much, the air bubbles get too big, causing them to pop and then deflate in the oven.

If this is what's happening, it could be that your challahs have simply not been inside the oven long enough. If so, increase your baking time by another 5 minutes for your challahs. Don't worry if the tops get browner, that's fine.

Rising dough in the refrigerator takes a minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 24 hours. After mixing up the dough, place the dough in a greased dough bucket. Mist the top with cooking spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and place into a large plastic bag/unscented garbage bag.

How to tell if challah is done? ›

Place the loaf in the oven and bake. After 35 minutes of baking, check the internal temperature of the loaf with your Thermapen ONE. If the lowest temp you see is 195–200°F (91–93°C), the bread is done. Let the bread cool before slicing, then serve and enjoy!

Why? So the challah can be dipped right after the beracha is recited. The Mishnah Berurah (167:27) explains that dipping in salt or condiments makes the first bite tasty and adds honor to the beracha.

The best baking temperature for *most* challahs is about 190°C / 365-375°F.

So, if you're freezing your challah dough unshaped, then it'll defrost, which will be the first rise. You'll braid it, and then it'll rise again, and then you bake it. Otherwise, you make a challah dough, you let it rise, you braid it, and then you freeze it.

If the area is too warm, bread will rise too fast and begin cooking before the yeast has finished acting. This will impart a "yeasty" taste to the dough that will be transferred to the finished baked loaf. Using old ingredients (rancid nuts, "old" shortening) will cause yeast breads to taste old or have an "off" taste.

There may be several reasons for a dense, cake like texture in bread. It may indicate the kneading wasn't enough for the gluten to develop properly, or the dough was proved for too short a time or the dough may have been too dry. It is also worth checking the flour you used.

Make sure you are using fresh. If you start the yeast in warm water and sugar you should see noticeable bubbles. Add a flour improver. If you cant find a commercial one use 1/4 teaspoon of vit c powder or table spoon of white vinegar (you won't taste it) or lemon juice (The acid softens the gluten.)

Simply put, you have to control the temperature of the bread. Allowing ample time for your bread dough to rise and the yeast to form will create the holes in the bread that give it a lighter texture. Letting your dough get puffy and grow before it goes into the oven is critical.

Dense or heavy bread can be caused by not kneading the dough enough, not letting the dough rise enough, or using too much flour. To fix this issue: try kneading the dough for longer or allowing it to rise for a longer period. You can also try adding a little more liquid to the dough or using a higher protein flour.