Shlissel Challah
By sweinberger
Published April, 16 2007 11:51 am
Published April, 16 2007 11:51 am
I was referring to this past Shabbos. I may not have been in time to post before Shabbos, but I figured it was timely enough to post informational links and a beautiful picture of my wife’s challahs. If you prefer, The Shabbos after Pesach was the traditional time to bake Shlissel Challah.
How did you get that lovely shape?
It’s simpler than it looks. It’s a small-braid placed on top of a ball of dough with a groove down the center. The ends of the braid are tucked under the ball.
Thanks!
could you post the recipe used for these stunning challahs? Mine are NOT this beautiful. What mixer does your wife use?
The key to the beautiful color & shine of the challahs is a double egg-wash. Before baking:
- apply egg wash and let dry for 15 minutes.
- apply a second egg-wash and seeds if you wish.
- allow second coat to dry for 15 minutes
- bake as directed
We’re still looking for a “go-to” challah recipe. This batch had a good consistency, but was lacking in flavor, so I’m reluctant to pass it on. My wife made it entirely in our Kitchenaid mixer (5QT). We also have an Electrolux Assistent, which is my mixer of choice.
Talking about egg-washes and seeds - have you ever tried nigella-seeds on your challah? I like a mix of regular white sesame-seeds & nigella-seeds, which are black and have a faint onion flavor.
Here is my wife’s recipe. She makes it in a Bosch mixer, which has a large bowl that holds a 5 lb bag of flour plus other ingredients. If your mixer is smaller, you may have to divide the mixture in two.
Also, she uses “high gluten flour,” which our local kosher grocery sells in 5 lb bags. I suppose what the supermarkets call “bread flour” would work, but you need to try it out.
Challah
5 lb bag of high gluten flour
7 packets of yeast or 13 ½ tsp.
4 cups warm water
1 tbsp. sugar
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups sugar
2 tbsp salt
1. Put everything into the mixer, blend and knead. If you have a large mixer, it can all go in at once. If not, you will have to do it in two halves.
2. Take challah. 5 lbs permits a bracha.
3. Put into an oiled bowl and let rise for 2 hours.
4. Divide and braid the dough. We usually make 6 to 7 challos from a batch, although you can make them larger or smaller (like a bunch of rolls) as you like.
5. Put an egg wash on it, and seeds if you like.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 35 to 50 minutes, depending upon the size and how well done you like it. (If you made six challos, then 35 minutes is probably fine. A bit less for rolls)
These also freeze well — a batch usually lasts 2 to 3 weeks, depending on how many guests we have on Shabbos.
More on the challah recipe
I asked my DW why the recipe has sugar twice. The reason is that the original recipe had one proofing the yeast with water and 1 tbsp. sugar. She does not do this, she says, because she uses
“Active Dry Yeast.” She does put the ingredients into the mixer in order — except the flour is put in LAST (the rest of the ingredients as listed are in the correct order). So the yeast does end up sitting in the water and sugar for a minute or two.
She also says if you use fresh yeast, you may need to let it soak.
Regarding getting a gorgeous color with egg wash, my method is too keep on adding egg wash until I put the challah in the oven. Kind of like basting a turkey–everytime I walk by, I “paint” on a bit more egg wash. I think it definitely works. We love poppy seeds in our house, so right before popping it into the oven, I add poppy seeds. I’ve also recently found that using a silpat mat really helps to maintain even baking. So fun exchanging tips!
Wasn’t LAST shabbos the shabbos after Pesach?