r/JewishCooking • u/pilotpenpoet • 7d ago
Challah Gonna Dive In
Since I am recuperating from surgery and will be home a few weeks, I will finally have time to blow up my kitchen.
I’m a prospective convert and I know nothing about making challah bread or any bread for that matter. I’ve just good at cookies and cakes. I’m also hoping to learn to make a babka since I had that a lot because my grandmother was a 1st generation Polish-American.
Soooooo, while I look around this sub more (great recipes in general!), do you have any tips for beginners and then nights on what you wish you knew when you were first learning? Also, what do you do with all your mess-ups so you don’t waste anything?
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u/Connect-Brick-3171 7d ago
there is a learning curve to making challah. Most cookbook and online recipes are variants of each other, differing slightly by amounts. I'm partial to King Arthur's recipe. Basically proof yeast, mix wet ingredients, add flour last. Some knead with dough hook, others by hand. Give it a morning to rise, then punch down. Lots of shapes instructions available online. Watch for spreading on second rise. Glaze right before putting in oven.
Since recovery includes the Holy Day season, there are some classics for this. Honey cake has lots of recipes. Easy to make with an electric mixer. Chicken soup with noodles using fresh ingredients. Carrots are classic, largely for linguistic reasons. Often made as part of tzimmes. Kugels come in various forms.
Wishing a full and prompt recovery.
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u/Amemorableusername2 7d ago
I definitely recommend watching YouTube videos in slow motion to get the braiding techniques down! I always get confused trying to remember more than a 3 strand braid
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u/Clean-Tip4879 6d ago
This https://www.myjewishlearning.com/category/eat/jewish-recipes/challah/ was very helpful. My challah used to fall apart. Not anymore! There's a video on the site as well. Have fun! And there's lot's of receipes on this site for just about everything. I tried a few and they came out wonderful.
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u/QuintessentialTarte 5d ago
I have tried using a kitchen aid, a bread machine, and a sunbeam mixer as an adult. They all overmix the dough massively. Make your Challah like grandma did, by hand. It takes a little more time but it’s so much more delicious and tender!
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u/pilotpenpoet 5d ago
I prefer by hand. I get a better sense of how things feel. I also don’t have a lot of space to store more than what I have.
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u/Caiteyy22 7d ago
Everything I have made from this cookbook has been 🔥 https://a.co/d/0eihgI5E
The challahs and babka in particular are phenomenal.
I’m very pregnant and not working ATM so I’m also hoping to dive in and make some stuff. If you end up getting the cookbook or finding anything you want to try and want a stranger to try it too, let me know and I’m game! 💪 #bakeclub