Cant seem to get challah straight

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Forum -> Recipe Collection -> Challah and Breads

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queen76 ↓

Thu, May 30 2024, 9:52 am

When ever I bake challah, no matter what I do I cant seem to get it fluffy enough.
Before giving up for good, please help me figure this out so I dont have to quit doing this mitzvah.
When I mix the yeast and the warm water it DOES bubble. Then I mix the rest of ingredients.
I let it rise on the counter abt an hour and half. Most times it rises nicely on counter as well. After that im doing something wrong. I braid it. So obviously it get small again and it doesnt rise anyone.
I tried letting it rise on the counter for 1/2 fr.
I put it into the oven on now temp to bake for 20 min. It rises a but but not like the fluffy challos im seeing by other pple. Who get that fluff with my effort.
My sister inlaw as the fluffiest challah and can not explain to me what she does. She has no clue.
My challah is dense.
Please help!!!!!!!!!!

advocate

Thu, May 30 2024, 10:15 am

Two things to try:
Warm up your oven a little bit. Turn it off and let the braided challahs rise in the warm oven. I usually allow another hour for the second rise. Your kitchen may just be too cool.

You could also try using live yeast. I used to be afraid of it, but after I tried it the first time. -- wow, game changer.

And of course ask Hashem to bless your challah.

Hotzlocha and a gutten Shabbos kodesh!

HH613

Thu, May 30 2024, 10:16 am

Have you tried other recipes? If not try your sister in laws recipe.

Lovable

Thu, May 30 2024, 10:30 am

Do you use dry or fresh yeast?
I use dry yeast, and dont let it bubble at all. just mixed in with the rest of the ingredients.
I get really really fluffy challah!
dry yeast, sugar & 6 cups room temp seltzer mixed with warm water and some flour, pulse. Add more flour, pulse, add eggs, oil, salt, pulse in rest of flour, mix on high for 10 minutes
Rise on counter for 1 hour. Braid. rise in oven on 250 for 20 minutes
Then bake on 410 for 45 minutes

snowman ↓

Thu, May 30 2024, 1:31 pm

How long do u knead the dough for?

zaq ↓

Thu, May 30 2024, 1:33 pm

You may need to let it rise longer, especially if your kitchen is on the cool side. One day I inadvertently left my challah rising for a good two hours or more after shaping. Bingo! Nice and light. Now I allow a long, long rising time.

BTW, don't let the salt come in direct contact with the yeast, because it will kill the yeast. Mix the salt very well with the flour before you add wet ingredients to the flour or flour to the wet ingredients.

liora25

Thu, May 30 2024, 1:45 pm

Sometimes help to knock the dough down a little during while it’s rising, like after an hour and then let rise up again

↑ snowman

Thu, May 30 2024, 1:48 pm

Putting the rest of the ingredients on top of the yeast can have an effect on the yeast.
I make the yeast mixture in a separate bowl and then I add it on top of the rest of the ingredients

Living Princess

Thu, May 30 2024, 2:02 pm

Are you adding in more flour when you shape your Challas? Could be this is weighing it down.

Kumphort

Thu, May 30 2024, 2:31 pm

What flour do you use? I find that for this, you need to use heimish high gluten flour which is meant for challah.

How much yeast are you using?

ra_mom ↓

Thu, May 30 2024, 2:42 pm

queen76 wrote:

Change your recipe.
Keep trying others' recipes until you find the one that suits you.

Last edited by ra_mom on Thu, May 30 2024, 3:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

Chana Miriam S

Thu, May 30 2024, 2:54 pm

Add more liquid to your dough. Dough should be wet but handleable.

ps1 ↓

Thu, May 30 2024, 4:31 pm

zaq wrote:

Ditto. I routinely let my challahs rise 3 hours after braiding. They are always fluffy. I have given many people my recipe and they say it doesn’t come out the same - I think they get nervous or impatient and bake it too soon.

↑ queen76 ↓

Thu, May 30 2024, 5:24 pm

ps1 wrote:

3 hours after braiding??
Can it be rushed up in a warm oven?
Can u give me ur recipe?

↑ ps1

Thu, May 30 2024, 5:43 pm

queen76 wrote:

3 hours after braiding??
Can it be rushed up in a warm oven?
Can u give me ur recipe?

Seriously, I let it rise at least 2 and usually 3 hours after braiding. (Today I did 3 hours). Try it once and see. You can probably do less in a warm oven. But the trick is that it could overrise and deflate, this is much less likely sitting on a counter that’s not next to the stove.

My recipe:
1.5 c. warm water

2 smaller or 1.5 larger eggs (I.e. 1 egg + white from a second egg, keep the yolk for brushing later)

6 Tb. Canola oil

½ tsp salt

½ c. sugar (adjust to taste)

6 c. flour

3.5 tsp dry yeast

If you have a bread machine: Add the ingredients in the order above, run dough cycle. Check after 15 minutes and ONLY if it’s very dry add ~2 Tb water.

With no bread machine:

Mix ingredients in mixer until just barely mixed (you don’t want to overwork the flour).

Cover with a dish towel and let rise 20 min.

Mix on low or knead by hand.

Cover with a dish towel and let rise 20 min again.

Punch down and let rise 1 hour.

Braid and place on pans lined with baking paper sprayed with Pam.

Cover with dish towel and let rise 3 hours (can do 2 hours if kitchen is warm).

Brush with egg yolk mixed with 1 Tb water.

Bake at 375F 14 minutes, typically I check on it and bake an additional 2 min.

Cool on racks.

↑ queen76 ↓

Sun, Jun 02 2024, 6:33 am

Thank you all for your great tips and ideas.
I still ned your help as the struggle to acheive fluffy challos continues.
So I followed many of your ideas and my challos rose beautifully. Thats until I put the challos in the oven.
They seemed fluffy and growing and then when I started baking them I was shocked to open the oven door 40 minutes later to see that my challos diflated.
Why would that happen?????

helloo26 ↓

Sun, Jun 02 2024, 7:07 am

Could it be your oven?
One of my ovens ruins everything

↑ ra_mom

Sun, Jun 02 2024, 7:09 am

queen76 wrote:

They over-rose 😊

↑ queen76

Sun, Jun 02 2024, 7:13 am

helloo26 wrote:

Could it be your oven?
One of my ovens ruins everything

is that even possible?
Its a regular working electric oven.

↑ helloo26

Sun, Jun 02 2024, 7:19 am

queen76 wrote:

is that even possible?
Its a regular working electric oven.

It could be. Do you have problems with other things you bake? (especially more delicate baking such as pastry, cheesecakes etc)
Every oven is different. I have 3 ovens and each one of them works differently.

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