Small Batch Challah Rolls Recipe - Amanda Wilens (2024)

FAQs

What is the best flour to use for challah? ›

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.

Amount of flour: The key to a soft loaf that isn't dense is to use as little flour as possible. I start with 930 grams of flour and add up to 70 more grams based on what the dough needs. The amount of liquid in the dough will vary from loaf to loaf because “large” eggs are similar but not uniform in volume.

I suggest kneading the dough Thursday evening, letting it rise overnight, then forming the loaves Friday morning. With this timing, you are ready to break the challah around 12/1PM on Friday. And then comes the hardest part: waiting until the sun sets to eat it.

So that's why I always say to leave your dough in the fridge, and it'll have a colder, slow rise because the yeast still eats away at the sugar, but it's at a slower rate than when you're keeping it at room temperature. Dough can stay in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

If the dough contains at least 1.666 kilo (a little more than 7 cups) of flour, one should take challah with a blessing. If the amount of flour in the dough is more than 1.2 kilo but less than 1.666 (5-7 cups), challah should be taken without a blessing.

In place of sugar, honey or maple syrup provide sweetness and moisture. Olive oil imparts a flavorful, herbaceous note to the bread — you can use a neutral oil, too, but the flavor of the former is truly something special. The focus on egg yolks, rather than eggs, ensures a tender, chewy crumb.

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

Again, the slower the rise, the more flavor your dough will develop. 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.

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.

Make sure the dough is in a large enough bowl or container and has plenty of room to rise, because it will. Refrigerate it overnight. When ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Braid it and let it do its second rise for 20 to 30 minutes before putting it in the oven.

Can I refrigerate challah dough after first rise? ›

When can I refrigerate my dough? Most bread recipes have two rises, a first rise (also called bulk fermentation), and a second or final rise. You can chill your dough during either the first or second rise.

Set the loaf aside to proof in a place that is as close to 85°F (29°C) as possible. Allow the loaf to rise until it no longer springs back easily or fully when poked, about 2–3 hours.

You can refrigerate the dough after almost any step, but after the first rise (or a little before) works best. Store it, covered, in the refrigerator for 1-3* days. Allow room for the dough to expand as it will continue to rise.

Freezing unbaked challahs

1 Line the baking tray with baking paper and place the shaped challahs upon them. 2 Freeze them uncovered.

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.

No special flour required to make the perfect loaf. Some challah recipes call for bread flour, but I use all-purpose flour and it works perfectly every time.

We do traditional milling of wheat flour, spelt, rye and also other grains.” Anything that can be made into flour, Thon said, can be milled at Stybel Flour Mill. “Afterwards, we use it for bakeries,” Thon said.

Strong white bread flour

As it's got more gluten development, it will be very elastic.

So, if you're wondering how to make sourdough bread, you'll probably find most recipes recommend a strong white bread flour over an all-purpose flour. This is because the higher protein content of bread flour will help you create the high rise and rustic crust of an artisan style loaf.