Italian Challah for BBD#46

For Bread Baking Day #46, Noor of Ya Salam Cooking encouraged us to Bake a bread from a place you would love to visit. There are lots of places I would love to visit so I had a hard time deciding which country and what bread to make. I thought about making Irish Scones from Ireland, or a flatbread from the Mediterranean, but I finally settled on Italy and Italian Bread. I love Italian Bread and Italy is definitely one of the places I would love to visit.

This Italian Challah is another bread that’s really easy to make and doesn’t take much time. I like that!  This is the BOM (Bread of the Month) for January for the Artisan Bread Bakers FB Group.  This is a family recipe that was handed down to Anthony, one of the members of the FB group so it sounded like a neat bread to try and fit the bill perfectly for BBD#46.

Instead of shaping this challah in the traditional freeform 3-strand braid, I opted to place it in a loaf pan as the recipe suggested.  I’m so glad I did. I loved the way it turned out. I love braided breads and it’s fun to try different methods.

This bread is made with olive oil instead of butter and only includes a little bit of sugar so it makes great sandwich bread. Another sandwich bread; that makes three this month: Sprouted Spelt Bread, Cuban Bread and this Italian Challah.

 

Nana’s Egg Bread or Italian Challah

Ingredients:

• 500g all-purpose, unbleached flour
• 215g warm water
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk*
• 15g white sugar (I used raw sugar)
• 15g extra virgin olive oil (added a little extra during the kneading because the dough was too dry)
• 11g kosher salt
• 10g active dry yeast (I used instant)
• 1 large egg (for egg wash) (*I used the leftover egg white for this part)

 

Equipment Needed:

• 9"x5" bread pan (optional)
• Digital scale
• Cooking spray
• Plastic wrap

 

Directions:

1) Mixing the Dough

Scale out your flour, salt, yeast, olive oil, and sugar into the bowl.

Crack the eggs (separating the one) and add to bowl. Scale out your water (separately in case you mess up), and then add it to the bowl.

2) Kneading the Dough

Use the dough hook on your mixer and mix the dough on the lowest setting for 2-3 minutes until everything pulls together. Depending on your mixer, put it up to the typical speed that you're comfortable mixing bread doughs at. Whatever that is, allows the dough hook to knead it for 15 minutes. (If it strains at all, turn it down a notch.)

 

3) Bulk Fermentation

When your finished kneading, place the dough in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap (I sprayed a bit of vegetable cooking spray on it just in case it proofs up and touches the plastic wrap). Allow it to proof until doubled.

Once doubled (dimple test it), remove the dough from the bowl for shaping.

4) Shaping the Challah

You can shape this as a regular pan loaf by rolling it out (whether with a rolling pin or just by hand) to about 1/2 inch in thickness. The width should be no wider than the bread pan you intend to use. Then, roll up the dough tightly and make sure it seals well at the end.

I decided to braid the loaf, then bake the braided loaf in a loaf pan. I began the process by dividing the dough evenly into 3 balls.

Then I rolled each ball into a long rope and placed them side-by-side on the counter.

 

I overlapped the ropes in the middle of the loaf and braided one end and then switch to the other end to finish the braiding. 

 

For detailed instructions, including a photo tutorial, on braiding breads, refer Making Braided Bread: Challah.

 

This braid was the perfect size to fit in a 9”x5”-inch loaf pan.  However, if your braid ends up being a bit too long, just tuck the ends of it under to fit it in the pan.

 

5) Proofing the Loaf

Cover the braid with plastic wrap and allow it to double in size (should crest nicely above the rim of the pan). This will take 45 minutes to an hour.  If you decided to make a free-form braid, just cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to double on the sheet pan.

 

6) Preparing the Loaf for Baking

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and place an empty steam pan on the bottom rack.

Whisk the extra egg (or egg white) and add a couple of teaspoons of water to make an egg wash.

Once the loaf is doubled, and just before placing in the oven, brush on the egg wash. Be sure to get the sides and make sure it's got a nice even coat.

 

7) Baking the Challah

Add hot water to the steam pan and transfer the loaf to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, turning half way through baking until it's a rich golden brown.

Remove the loaf from the pan at the end of 20 minutes and see if the lower crust is browned enough. If it is not browned enough, put it back in on a sheet pan or pizza screen for another 5 minutes.  When I removed the loaf from the pan, it was a bit soft on the bottom so I put it on a baking sheet and placed it back in the oven for a couple of minutes until the bottom sounded hollow when I thumped on it.

 

8) Cooling and Slicing the Loaf

Allow to cool completely on a rack before slicing.

This bread has been YeastSpotted. Please visit Wild Yeast to view all of the lovely breads in the weekly roundup.

 

9) Enjoy! 

This egg bread reminds me of Brioche (without all the extra butter). It makes a fabulous grilled cheese sandwich.  I served it with some kosher dill pickles.  Sorry I didn’t take a photo of that part, but I enjoyed it immensely.

This bread probably freezes really well, but I don’t think that will be necessary this time. I’m enjoying it too much!

 

 

 

Thanks to Noor of Ya Salam Cooking for encouraged us to Bake a bread from a place you would love to visit as the theme for BBD (Bread Baking Day) #46.

 

 

 

 

 

I also want to thank Anthony of the Artisan Bread Bakers for choosing this Italian Challah for the January BOM. It’s a wonderful bread!  Thanks for sharing your family recipe!

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Cheese and Chive Challah

Christmas was wonderful this year.  I got to spend time with my family and friends and it snowed.  It hasn’t snowed in Atlanta on Christmas since 1882. That’s a very rare phenomenon indeed!  We enjoyed good food, good bread, good company and a beautiful display of falling snowflakes outside the window. 

Happy Holidays from The Bread Experience!

 

At family events, more often than not, I’m the one who brings the bread. In fact, the first question I usually get asked when I walk in the door is, “what kind of bread did you bring today?” 

This year, instead of bringing rolls for Christmas dinner, I made a festive Cheese and Chive Challah.  This challah recipe made two loaves so I shared one loaf with my family and gave the other loaf to my boyfriend for his family to enjoy.  The bread was well received at both gatherings.

 

Cheese and Chive Challah

Source: Cooking Light November 2010 Issue

Makes: Two loaves

This Cheese and Chive Challah is a traditional yeasted egg bread that is further enriched with the addition of cheese.  I used fontina, but feel free to use your favorite shredded cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1  cup  warm 2% reduced-fat milk (100° to 110°)
• 1  teaspoon  sugar
• 1  package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 3  tablespoons  butter, melted
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  salt
• 5  large egg yolks
• 3  large eggs
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded aged fontina cheese
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped fresh chives
• 10.7  ounces  bread flour (about 2 1/4 cups)
• 13.5  ounces  all-purpose flour, divided (about 3 cups)
• Cooking spray
• 1  large egg
• 2  tablespoons  water
• 2  tablespoons  grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly.  Stir in butter, salt, 5 egg yolks, and 3 eggs. Stir in fontina and chives. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 10.7 ounces bread flour (about 2 1/4 cups) and 12.4 ounces (about 2 3/4 cups) all-purpose flour to yeast mixture, stirring until a soft dough forms (dough will be sticky).

 

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding remaining 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.

 

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover with plastic wrap.

 

Let the dough rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

 

Punch down dough;

 

Cover and let rise 50 minutes or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

 

Divide dough into 6 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball.

 

Roll each ball into a rope about 15 inches long.

 

Place 3 ropes parallel to one another; braid ropes. Pinch ends together, and tuck under loaf.  I braided the first loaf this way and the second loaf a different way.

 

Repeat procedure with remaining 3 ropes.  I formed this braid a little bit different than the first one.  See photos below:

 

Place loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; coat with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.

 

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine 1 egg and 2 tablespoons water, stirring well with a whisk. Brush loaves gently with egg mixture.  Sprinkle loaves evenly with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

 

Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheet; cool on a wire rack.

 

Nutritional Information

Calories: 160
Fat: 4.7g (sat 2.3g,mono 1.5g,poly 0.5g)
Protein: 6.2g
Carbohydrate: 22.5g
Fiber: 0.8g
Cholesterol: 78mg
Iron: 1.6mg
Sodium: 210mg
Calcium: 51mg

French Toast with Maple-Apple Compote

I’ve been looking forward to making this French Toast with Maple-Apple Compote ever since I saw the recipe in the October issue of Cooking Light.  This particular recipe uses Challah and it just so happens that we made Challah in the Mellow Bakers’ group last month. 

This recipe can be made with several varieties of apples. Some of the suggested varieties are: Pink Lady, Liberty, Fuji, or Jonagold.  I used a few Winesap apples that I had gotten on my last trip to my favorite farm.  These apples are tart and good for canning and eating. I thought they would be perfect in this recipe.  The final main ingredient in this recipe is maple syrup. I got some delicious maple syrup a couple of months ago from a vendor at the Yellow Daisy Festival so I was all set.  Now, all I needed was the time to make this French Toast. 

I couldn’t wait any longer, so I made the French Toast the other night for dinner.

 

A little French Toast History

Did you know…

… that French toast recipes exist in many cultures? Recipes have been traced back to the Ancient Roman times (see Food Timeline). It is also known as German toast, American toast, Spanish toast, Nun's toast, Cream toast, Amarilla, and Poor Knights of Windsor. French Toast is most often eaten for breakfast although it is sometimes eaten as a dessert.  I like to eat it for dinner, but that’s just me.

 

French Toast with Maple-Apple Compote

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 2 pieces toast about about 1/3 cup compote
Recipe from Cooking Light, October 2010 Issue

This is the Challah I used to make the French Toast

Ingredients

Compote:
Cooking spray
1  tablespoon  butter
3  cups  sliced peeled Pink Lady (or other) apples (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4  cup  maple syrup
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon

French toast:
2  tablespoons  granulated sugar
1  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1  cup  2% reduced-fat milk
2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
1/8  teaspoon  salt
4  large eggs, lightly beaten
12  (1-ounce) slices Challah bread (or Hawaiian bread)
4  teaspoons  butter
Powdered sugar (optional)

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250°. Place wire rack on a baking sheet and place in oven.

To prepare compote, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray; melt 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add apples to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender. Stir in maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Keep warm.

 

To prepare French toast, combine granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk, vanilla, salt, and eggs; whisk until well blended. Working with 1 bread slice at a time, place bread slice into milk mixture, turning gently to coat both sides.

 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add 3 coated bread slices; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Place on rack in oven to keep warm. Repeat procedure three times with cooking spray, remaining 3 teaspoons butter, and remaining 9 coated bread slices.

 

Serve French toast with compote. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.  I added the powdered sugar, but I didn’t add any additional syrup. It tasted great.  This is probably the best French toast I’ve ever had. Absolutely delicious!

 

Here’s the Nutritional Information:
Calories: 370
Fat: 12.1g (sat 5.3g,mono 4g,poly 1.3g)
Protein: 11.3g
Carbohydrate: 55.3g
Fiber: 2.9g
Cholesterol: 185mg
Iron: 2.7mg
Sodium: 427mg
Calcium: 146mg

 

Thanks for joining me in the bread-baking blog.  I hope you enjoyed this bread and will join me again soon.

Happy Baking!
Cathy

Here are some additional bread-making resources:

• Bread Recipes
• Bread Cookbooks
• Bread Making
• Baking Supplies
• Bread Flour
• Bread Mixes

Making Braided Bread: Challah

I’ve been really mellow about the breads I’ve made so far with the Mellow Bakers but when I saw this Challah on the list for October, I knew I had to make it. I just love making braided breads. I also like learning the history of breads made throughout the world, and in particular, the symbolism behind the making of Challah.

"There are two words for bread in Hebrew: lechem and challah. Lechem is the everyday bread...Challah is the special, usually white egg bread reserved for the Sabbath. Challah is also the word that refers to the portion of dough set apart for the high priests in the Temple of Jerusalem. One of the three commandments incumbent upon women, "taking challah," evolved sometime following the destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 C.E. Following the rising of the dough, women would separate a piece and burn it to remind them of the offerings to the Temple. For nearly two millennia it has symbolically replaced the sacrificial offerings. All challah that is baked today is kosher only if "challah has been taken."...It was the Eastern European immigrants who put challah on the gastronomical map in the country. In biblical times...Sabbath bread was probably more like our present-day pita. Through the ages and as Jews moved to different lands the loaves varied. But only in America could Jews eat challah...every day of the week...Elsewhere a round challan at Rosh Hashanah became a symbol of life. Usually the Rosh Hashanah bread is formed in a circle, to signify the desire for a long life.”

Source: Food Timeline http://foodtimeline.org/foodbreads.html#challah

 

 

I made a 4-strand challah, a 3-strand challah and two 2-stranded rolls.  I made the dough Friday morning before work, but didn’t get a chance to bake it until Sunday afternoon.  So it rested in the refrigerator for two days longer than the recipe recommended. 

When I was ready to bake the loaves, I divided the dough into four pieces and made a large ball, a medium ball and two small balls.  Since the dough had been resting in the refrigerator, it was pretty stiff.  So I let the balls rest on the counter for a while to soften up.

I started with the Two-Strand Rolls. 

I took one of the dough balls and divided it into two equal pieces.

Then I rolled both balls out into strands of equal length. 

Then I braided them using the two-strand method.

I probably should have rolled them a little bit longer because they were a little bit too thick for braids.

Then I took the two strands and curled them up into a roll.

 

I did the same with the other small piece of dough and placed them both on a cookie sheet to proof.

Then I baked them. Here is what the finished Two-Strand Roll looks like.

 

Then I moved on to the Four-Strand Braid. 

I cut 4 equal pieces from the large dough ball and roll each piece into a strand.  I made them longer this time.

Then I made the braid using the 4-strand technique. 

 

I started out using method 1, but about this point, I switched to method 2 which is the way I usually do it.

 

So, it ended up being a combination of method 1 and 2.

 

The Four-Strand Bread baked up pretty nicely even if the braids weren’t completely even.

 

Moving right along…

 

Last, but not least, the Three–Strand Braid.

I divided the medium dough ball into 3 equal pieces and rolled each piece into a long strand.

 

 

 

It had been awhile since I had made a braided bread.  I was starting to get the hang of the braiding again by now. 

 

Finish the braid by tucking the ends under.  This photo is a bit blurry because it’s hard to hold the camera and tuck the ends at the same time.

 

Here is the finished Three-Strand Braid.

This bread has been YeastSpotted. Please visit Wild Yeast to view all of the lovely breads in the roundup.

I enjoyed making all of these braids.  I thought about making a double braid for a celebration Challah, but I want to use these loaves for something different so I opted to make the regular braids instead.

I didn’t get a crumb shot because I gave one of the roll-shaped loaves away and I’m keeping the 3-strand and 4-strand braids for some special French Toast.

I did try the other roll. It was a little bit dry probably because of being in the refrigerator too long.  I’ve also heard that the addition of egg whites can make the Challah dry. However, I think it will do well for French Toast. 

Stay tuned for my next post…

 

Be sure to check out what the other bakers have been up to in the Mellow Bakers group.  There are some awesome braided breads out there.

The Mellow Bakers group was started by Paul at Yumarama. We’re baking breads from Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes by Jeffrey Hamelman.

 

Thanks for joining us in the Bread Experience bread-baking blog. 

Happy Baking!
Cathy