Mom, can we have bakery challah next week??

Executive Member Joined: Dec 29 2007 Posts: 282

That was dd's request after she bit into the challah this week.

I am looking for a water challah recipe that is soft fluffy, and not sweet. I have tried so many recipes but have not come across anything that tastes like bakery water challah..

any help?, dd and my self esteem will really appreciate it..

Gold Member Joined: Aug 23 2011 Posts: 1576

I have one. I will try to post it later.

Gold Member Joined: Jul 30 2009 Posts: 1694

Amish White Bread (from allrecipes.com)
I made this recipe once just to try it, and our first reaction was "This tastes like bakery bread!" Not as much like braided bakery challos, but you know the "challah" that they sell sliced that is lighter and fluffier than the "Jewish" hard-crust, soft-and-chewy-inside bread? That. Very yummy, but I prefer a heavier challah, This one is delicious and lighter than air!

I want to know what bakery you go to that sells half decent challa.

Moderator Joined: Jun 05 2011 Posts: 3376

Gold Member Joined: Jan 12 2010 Posts: 2267 Location: US

I don't know if it will help you. I made a recipe this week that my kids and I really, really liked, but I think dh prefers the bakery style water challah.

I used this recipe:
http://www.thekosherchannel.com/water-challah-recipe.html

I put about 11 teaspoons kosher salt, and about 3/4 c sugar. I also punched it down a few times during rising. It came out really really good. If I make it Friday, I freeze the ones for the next day and take it out first thing in the morning to defrost.

I wonder if using less sugar would make it more like the bakeries which I think is less sweet than egg challah.

Here is a smaller recipe I used to make:

10 cups flour
3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp dry yeast
2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/3 cup oil

Executive Member Joined: Dec 29 2007 Posts: 282

Platinum Member Joined: Jan 01 2006 Posts: 48153

is it so terrible to buy challah every so often ?

Executive Member Joined: Dec 29 2007 Posts: 282

Executive Member Joined: Dec 29 2007 Posts: 282

I buy challah all the time..I guess thats why I want to replicate that taste. I actually asked the bakery.. no they did not divulge the recipe

Gold Member Joined: Jan 12 2010 Posts: 2267 Location: US

Executive Member Joined: Dec 29 2007 Posts: 282

Diamond Member Joined: Oct 08 2009 Posts: 4018

We love Gross bakery water challah. I never bake, but many times I get homebaked challas from relatives and friends. They are good, but we still favor the Gross water challa.
Many years ago when my mother AH baked fresh challa every Friday, we ate them fresh right when we came home from school. She baked for the mitzva and didn't get insulted when we went out and bought Gross challas from the bakery almost 20 blocks away from our house! Her challas tasted like cake, and we loved them hot and fresh. For Shabbos it had to be the hard crunchy Gross water challa, and we still love them to this day.
Soup is the same story, they all seem to love those cups of soup, but I explain to them to stay away for their own health. Most of the time, they see that my soup is also delicious. And much healthier.

Executive Member Joined: Dec 29 2007 Posts: 282

aahh ..we loved Gross's challah too...

funny...when we used to go to my mil for shabbos.. we once took along a gross challah and kind of slyly snuck it in under the challah cover so mil shouldn't notice...only did it once though..

I wish I can get my hands on that recipe!

Moderator Joined: Jun 05 2011 Posts: 3376

My MIL makes a delishes thick crunchy crust Challah recipe. It has egg in it but tastes like the bakery ones IMO.
(We like Gross's and Shloime's (both in BP) bakery Challah, if you want a reference. We buy the regular ones. I don't think they are specifically water Challa.)
I can pull out the recipe for you if you'd like.
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Really Awesome Mom!

The problem with homemade challah is rarely the recipe, it's how you make it. The only really important thing is that you use high gluten flour and I find fresh yeast is a million times better than dry. Make sure you are getting high bubbles from your yeast and sugar mixture. After that what I do is bake it at 350, when it's nicely browned then I remove it from the pans and put it directly on the rack and continue baking for about 10 minutes but at a higher temperature. This way the entire challah will become crusty on the outside but will stay soft in the inside. Remove and let cool on something metal. Do not let it cool down on towels or in the pans as this will soften it up.

I hate to brag but I make the best challah ever Smug

(which I'm only mentioning so that you should trust my method here).
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Let your fellow's honor be as dear to you as your own and do not anger easily (Pirkei Avos/t)

Silver Member Joined: Sep 16 2009 Posts: 553

with 3/4 cup of sugar in a 10 cup flour recipe it would not be sweet at all!
I put 1/2 a cup in a 4 cup flour recipe and thats hardly sweet or just sweet enough.
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