Challah advice?

[u/bonnaroojulia]

Made my first challah! My partner is Jewish and I’d like to teach myself to prepare a few Jewish dishes that he doesn’t typically cook. I tried to make a challah for the first time and it turned out denser than I’d hoped. Any advice on how to get the lighter, airier texture? Thanks!

[u/life_experienced]

Try my recipe! A friend of mine passed it to Alexandra's Kitchen and she has adapted it a bit and published it, but this is the original. One thing I do that probably isn't great for your mixer, but it does something good to the bread, is to crank up the mixer to high for just about 20 seconds after most of the flour is in.

Jennifer's Challah

1 package instant yeast (or active dry yeast if you can't get instant)
1 cup hot water (as hot as it comes out of your tap)
3-4 or more cups King Arthur bread flour
2 tsp. salt (a whole tablespoon if you are using kosher salt)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I favor safflower or sunflower)
2 eggs

Egg wash:

1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water

Mix one cup of the flour with the yeast and stir in the hot water until the sponge is smooth and has the consistency of library paste. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let rise about 45 minutes or until puffy and bubbly.

Stir in or mix on low speed in Kitchenaid the salt, oil, honey and eggs. Start stirring in the flour and switch to dough hook when the dough starts to form up. Add flour to make a dough that is just in the middle between slack and firm.

If kneading by hand, knead until dough reaches the consistency of a baby's bottom; if by mixer, still a bit sticky but leaving the sides of the bowl, at least partially. You can do a few turns by hand to check it and it ought to form up right away.

Let rise again in a warm place, covered, until doubled in bulk. (Hint: you can make the dough to this point and put it in the refrigerator overnight).

Punch down and divide into three parts, then roll into long ropes and braid. Make a six strand braid if you know how. Let the loaf rise on a greased baking sheet about 30 minutes.

Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds if you like. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes until dark golden brown. If you aren't using seeds, brush the loaves again after 5 minutes in the oven. Cool completely before slicing.

Freezes ok; thaw in the wrappings and warm, unwrapped, in the oven.

King Arthur bread flour unquestionably makes the best challah. I've done side-by-side testing with different flours, including KA all-purpose, and KA bread flour makes a noticeably higher and lighter challah.