No Knead Challah

There are a lot of Challah recipes out there.  They range from sweet to savory and cover a wide range of origins.   Growing up, I found challah to be a somewhat dry and flavorless bread that was usually served with no butter or topping, and very often at the point when I was at my hungriest (it is a tradition to slice a challah at the end of the Saturday morning services) and I would have eaten anything.   I never thought too much about it, but as I got older, I was introduced to Challah French Toast, which was a revelation that made me realize I must have challah in the house at all times.  This led me to Cheryl Ann’s (of Brookline) challah, which some fans have noted is more like a Mardi Gras King Cake than a traditional challah, as it so sweet, fluffy and eggy.

Challahs from other institutions like Whole Foods are good but have a strange smell when toasted.  (This is kind of a turn-off, and I will refrain from my opinions of the smell)

This recipe below is modified from the King Arthur No-Knead Challah recipe, which I have modified slightly over the years.   I have also made it Vegan, using Earth Balance, Egg Replacer and Agave.  Still pretty good.

The recipe (and tradition) call for the challah to be braided.  While I very much enjoyed learning how to do this (the indispensable but short video here), I found that the key to a light and fluffy challah (or any yeasted, baked product) was to handle it as little as possible once it was in it’s near-final form.   Since the holiday challahs are round (to convey and celebrate the circular nature of life, etc.) I decided rolling out the dough into a log and baking it in a 9″ round was infinitely easier and resulted in a better final product.

Also, a bread thermometer is a good investment, but I have found that at 35 minutes at 350 degrees, this comes out perfect every time.

Challah

• 7 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (plus more, if necessary)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup melted and cooled unsalted butter  (you can substitute oil or margarine if you need it to be dairy free or kosher, but I have found it has much less flavor). 

Topping

• 1 egg (any size) beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water
• Poppy seeds to cover (about 1/3 of a bottle).

Directions
(I never use the bread mixer attachment on my stand mixer or the like alternative. I always do this by hand).

1. Combine your dry  ingredients and whisk thoroughly.
2. Make a well, and add the wet ingredients.
3. Use a spatula to mix the ingredients until you have a cohesive dough; finish with your hands.  You should have a craggy, sticky ball of dough.  You may need to add water if it’s too dry, or a bit of flour to make it easier to handle.
4. Cover the bowl, and let the dough rise for at least 2 hours.
5. Refrigerate the dough overnight if possible.
6. Remove from fridge and separate into two. (King Arthur says it can be made into three, but I like bigger 9″ rounds).
7. Roll into a log and coil into a 9″ inch (Pam-sprayed) round cake pan.
8. Allow the challah to rise for about 2 hours.
9. Preheat the oven to 350°F.   Prepare the topping.
10. With a pastry brush, brush the challah over every visible surface.
11. Lay on the poppy seeds, heavy.
12. Bake the Challah for 35 minutes. Don’t open the oven.   Use a bread thermometer to ensure it’s at 190°F.  Once that’s the case, you can put away your bread thermometer, you won’t need it.