My challah was horrible! Please help me fix it for next week

Platinum Member Joined: May 06 2007 Posts: 8518

I have an awesome challah recipe that I got from a friend and have used it a few times. The thing is, it calls for 5 lbs. of flour and I have always halved it. (This is probably not the problem)

So for R"H, I decided to do all 5lbs. as we're having a ton of guests. I learned all of the fancy ways to braid - had those round braids, and snake braids, and pull aparts and flower rolls, etc. I rolled raisins within the snakes as I saw on a thread here etc.

So, I made the dough, shaped it, and put it in the fridge overnight, as I have done before. I took it out, let it come to room temp. and then baked it.

It was horrible. It never really grew. It was VERY salty and I don't think I put took much salt in (I remember checking the amount).

Did I not let it sit out long enough? It seemed to be room temp, or am I supposed to let it rise then? Why was it salty?

Unfortunately, I had a ton of guests Embarassed

, covering it in honey helped a bit, but I ended up throwing it out as it was just NOT edible.

So help me for sukkos, please! TIA!
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Just Plain Frum!

Platinum Member Joined: Mar 07 2007 Posts: 10429

If it tasted very salty,chances are you accidentally added too much salt. It happens, especially if you're distracted and trying to do too much at one time. maybe you got confused with the math and doubled the salt rather than using the quantity as listed in the original recipe. You may also have added the salt in one big blob that came into close contact with the yeast and killed it, or maybe you accidentally added table salt instead of sugar to the yeast and warm water.

A larger volume of dough will take longer to come to room temp than a smaller volume. You probably should have waited longer before baking to give it a chance to rise. That's assuming, of course, that the yeast was alive to begin with and you didn't kill the yeast by exposing it to either water that was too hot or concentrated salt. Do you proof your yeast first? You should, even if the recipe doesn't call for it, to prevent this sort of upset.

I don't know where you live, but recently the weather has been quite a bit cooler than earlier in the summer. If your kitchen is cooler than it was the previous times you made the challah, that may account for the slow rising. If you let dough rise at room temp, it will take much longer to rise if the kitchen is 75 degrees than if it's 95 degrees. You can encourage rising by placing the dough in a WARM place, which can be atop the fridge if the coils are in the back; in a gas oven with a pilot light; on top of a hot water bottle; inside a picnic cooler next to a bottle of hot water; on top of a radiator (in winter) or even in a microwave oven in which you've boiled a cup of water.

And yes, it has to first warm up to room temp and then rise, so if you use the overnight fridge method, it will take longer than the recipe indicates for the second rising.somewhere on this site I think I explain the yeast fermentation process as it relates to baking challah, although I'm not quite sure--I may have been describing the production of beer. In a nutshell, when it's too cold, the yeastie beasties, like many of us, aren't in the mood to do much of anything. It's not till they're feeling nice and warm that they get energetic . So you first have to warm them up, then stand back and let them do their thing. Unless of course, they're dead, in which case...you can try dissolving some more yeast in a bit of water and working it into the dough.

Given the salty taste, the most likely scenario is that you added too much salt.

Active Poster Joined: Jul 20 2010 Posts: 39

I would guess you probably put too much salt by mistake. For Sukkot try again, paying closer attention to amounts and maybe try baking it the same day you make it so you don't have to worry about the bringing to room temperature.

If this makes you feel better, last year, every time my sister baked Challah by herself it came out terrible, something was always wrong. We still don't know what it was, but I think she left out an ingredient each time, so now she is only allowed to help the rest of us make challah and they come out great. So bring a friend in to help make sure you get it all right.

Good luck and Shana Tova.

make another batch now, (in advance if you have freezer space) but make sure to make an extra roll to taste as it comes out the oven. if it is not good again, you can make a new batch or buy.

Executive Member Joined: Aug 13 2009 Posts: 306

Sounds like the salt came in contact with the yeast and killed it. Try adding the salt once most of the flour is has been incorporated.

Platinum Member Joined: Apr 06 2008 Posts: 5149

I do the following.
I add all my liquids to the yeast and water mixture and mix it in well.
I add my salt to the flour and MIX it so as to make sure it's evenly distributed before I add the liquid and make it into dough