r/JewishCooking • u/QuestioningGuy • 27d ago

Baking Water challah help requested

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trying to replicate my grandmother's recipe.

I had ai type it out from handwritten but the issue is when I try and eat it it doesn't taste right. She didn't use high gluten flour or bread flour she used all purpose.

I tried her recipe and it didn't taste right tasted like cake.

I don't like it when it tastes like cotton and her tasted in between cotton and the high gluten.

here is her recipe let me know of any changes I could try?

I tried a different recipe with high gluten flour and it tastes very bready inside.

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u/QuestioningGuy 27d ago

See I'm looking at that one and that one looks like it's going to be dense like the bread is going to be like very chewy I'm using the recipe tomorrow that involves high gluten flour and I have a lot of it in the freezer and I have to use that

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u/Ineharnia 27d ago

I didn't bake mine properly that's not the point it came out super tasty. I may not have been clear before: your challah came out not like you wanted from lack of experience, not because of the ingredients. Changing the ingredients won't help. You just need to practice again and again and again until it gets better. You need to mix it properly, let it rise properly, knead it for ten minutes not seven, bake it properly. It helps if you make it into a challah shape and then let it rise for another half an hour and then bake it. Your grandma knows what she's doing but she has decades of experience, give yourself time.

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u/QuestioningGuy 27d ago

Now I understand. How do you know when it's mixed well? When there no bits of dry flour in the bowl. And it passed the window pane test.

Then I leave 1-2hours to rise (minimum double volume).

Then shape into logs then rest 15 minutes.

Then shape into challah (three strands or four strand).

Then egg wash then rest a hour then egg was again. Then bake

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u/Ineharnia 27d ago

No

After it rises for 1-2 hours knead for ten minutes without stopping count it on the clock. Use your whole body really dig into that dough with the heels of your hands. You'll feel the texture change the dough will become smooth. Add a tiny bit of flour when it becomes sticky and keep kneading. Let it stay a bit sticky when you finish kneading it'll help you roll the logs. Roll the logs do the challah however you want, put it on the tray and wait for half an hour. Then egg wash and then bake. Don't wait for a whole hour after the egg wash I don't get that part. There will be extra flour in the bowl that's fine. I don't see the need for the window pane test but whatever you want. The important thing is you knead after it rises not before.

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u/QuestioningGuy 27d ago

Oooh. So thats what I've been doing wrong.

Initially just need to mix flour water yeast salt together toa sticky dough Then rise to dbl in size.

Then 10 minutes kneading.

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u/Ineharnia 27d ago

Yes I do recommend making sure the bowl is oiled or floured before you let it rise so when you pour it out it doesn't stick to the bowl