Sourdough Challah

Sourdough Challah

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

• 227g Sourdough Starter

• 442g King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

• 11g sea salt

• 67g sugar

• 50g unsalted butter (room temperature)

• 60g milk or water, room temperature

• 2 large eggs + 1 yolk, lightly beaten (save 1 egg white for the glaze, below)

For the Glaze:

• 1 egg white, saved from above

• 4g sugar

• 14g water

• poppy seeds, optional

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the starter and flour and stir to combine. Pour in the beaten eggs. Slowly add in the milk as the mixer is running on low speed. Mix for 2 minutes, or until all the flour is incorporated. Cover and autolyse (rest) for 30 minutes.

2. Sprinkle the salt and sugar all over the autolyse dough and mix on low speed until incorporated. Add a little of the butter at a time to the dough and completely mix it in before adding another portion. Once all the butter is incorporated, increase the speed of the mixer and knead dough for 6 to 8 minutes. Dough will leave the sides of the bowl but still cling to the bottom. Dough will have a smooth, supple look.

3. Knead dough by hand for one minute and form into round. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 3 hours or until almost doubled in size.

4. Gently, deflate dough and divide into 4 equal portions (a scale comes in handy to do this) and roll each into a 16 to 18-inch long rope.

5. Lightly grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper. Place the 4 ropes on the baking sheet and braid. (https://howtowiki89.blogspot.com/2018/10/how-to-braid-4-strands-challah.html).

6. To make the glaze, mix together the reserved egg white, sugar, and water in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the loaf with the glaze after braiding.

7. Cover the loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow it to rise for 2 hours or until it's almost doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 375°F (convection oven 350°F).

8. Brush the loaf again with the remaining glaze, this will give the finished loaf a beautiful, shiny crust, as well as provide "glue" for the seeds. Sprinkle with poppy seeds, and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the challah is golden brown, slightly firm to the touch, and the internal temperature is 195°F.

9. Remove the bread from the oven, and cool completely before slicing.

Yields: 1 loaf

Notes&Tips:

1. This Sourdough Challah is an easy bread to make. I always enjoy working with a sweet dough as I find them easier to handle. The hardest part is the braiding. I have never been good at braiding hair with 3 strands, much less braiding a 4 strand dough. But practice makes perfect, I suppose; so I will keep practicing!

2. This Sourdough Challah contains butter and milk, so it is not kosher. You can substitute for oil and water, respectively, to make it kosher.

3. My family and I used this Challah as a vehicle for jam (cherry), butter and smoked salmon. It also is great with Havarti cheese or any kind of soft cheese.

4. For storage, this bread can be kept at room temperature for several days. For longer storage, cool bread completely at room temperature, wrap in plastic and then in foil, place in a freezer bag and freeze.