No Knead Challah

This week in the Bread Experience Bread Baking Blog, we're making challah using a non traditional method. We made traditional Challah this week in the Bread Baker's Apprentice (BBA) Challenge so I thought it would be interesting to make a no knead challah and compare the two methods.

The no knead challah recipe is from Kneadlessly Simple by Nancy Baggett. The recipe has been reworked from a traditional challah recipe to reduce the time spent baking. Except for the shaping and braiding, this bread only requires a few minutes of effort here and there. It has a pleasant egg and honey taste and a beautiful golden crust. The bread tastes good warm, cool, or toasted.

"Challah originally referred to a sacred bread offering that was given to the priests, but has come to mean an enriched one special enough to serve on the Sabboth."
-- Nancy Baggett

 

No Knead Challah

Makes: 2 large braided loaves

Ingredients:

• 5 1/3 cups (26.66 ounces) unbleached all-purpose white flour, plus 1 1/3 cups (6.66 ounces), plus more as needed
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1/3 cup mild honey
• 1/4 cup flavorless vegetable oil, plus extra for coating dough top and baking pan
• 2 1/4 cups ice water, plus more if needed
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature and beaten with a fork
• 1 egg beaten with 2 teaspoons water for egg wash garnish
• 2 to 3 tablespoons poppy seeds or sesame seeds for garnish, optional

 

Directions:

Mixing the Dough:

In a large bowl, mix together the 5 1/3 cups of flour, the salt, and yeast.

In another bowl or a liquid measuring cup, thoroughly whisk the honey and oil into the water.  Then vigorously stir the mixture into the bowl with the flour, scraping down the sides and mixing until thoroughly blended.




If too dry to blend together, add a little bit more water, but don't over-moisten. The dough should be stiff. Add more flour if necessary to stiffen the dough. It's very humid here in Georgia so the dough was really sticky. I added more flour, but I think I may have added too much flour.





First Rise:

Brush or spray the top of the dough with oil.





Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. For best flavor, refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours. Then let the dough rise at room temperature for 12 to 18 hours.





I put the dough in the refrigerator for about 5 hours.

This is what it looks like after 5 hours in the refrigerator

Then I let it rest on the counter for about 15 hours to develop the gluten.

This is the dough after about 10 hours.

This is what it looks like with the plastic off.

 

I put the plastic back on to let the dough rest some more.  This is the dough after resting on the counter for 15 hours.

Closeup with the plastic off. It's ready for the final mix.

Mixing the final dough:

Vigorously stir the beaten egg-yolk mixture into the dough a little bit at a time. I used the stand mixer with the dough hook attachment for this part.





Then vigorously stir in the rest of the flour (1 1/3 cups), plus additional flour if necessary to make a hard-to-stir consistency.


I started this process with the mixer and the dough hook, but decided it was making it too soft.

So, I switched to using a wooden spoon.

Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.







Forming the Braids:

Spray two 15-inch-long sheets of baking parchment with non-stick spray and dust them with flour.





Cut the dough in half. The book suggests using well-oiled kitchen shears. I used a dough scraper It worked well.






Then divide each half into 3 or 4 pieces and place them on a well-floured work surface.






Dust each piece with flour and smooth them until they are easy to handle. I probably added too much flour. Need to do it differently next time.





Roll the pieces into 12-inch-long strands that are about 2 1/2 to 3 inches thick in the middle and about 1 inch thick at the ends. Dust with flour as needed.





Forming the 1st Braid.

Place the strands side-by-side on the parchment.





Form a braid as pictured below: I'm doing the 3-stranded braid. The same one I made for the traditional Challah. I really like this method of braiding from the center. I had forgotten about this method when I did the traditional challah. It braids much easier this way I think.










Forming the 2nd Braid.  Repeat the process for the 2nd braid.

Transfer the braid to a well-oiled baking sheet. Spray or brush the dough top with oil. I kept the braids on the parchment paper so I wouldn't mess them up when I transferred them to the baking sheet.  Tent the pan with nonstick spray-coated foil.





Second Rise:

Let the braids rise at warm room temperature for 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours or until they are double in size. Remove the foil as the dough reaches it. It only took about 1 1/2 hours for my braids to double in size. They were huge and hardly fit on the pan.  Well the braids definitely doubled in size and they sort of lost their shape during the second rise.



Preparing the loaves for baking:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F about 15 minutes before baking and place a rack in the lower third of the oven. Brush each loaf with the egg wash. Then evenly sprinkle the loaves with poppy or sesame seeds. I used poppy seeds for these loaves.





Baking the Challah:

Bake the loaves for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the tops are well browned. The loaves were so big, they started baking together so I had to separate them with a knife.



Then cover with foil and continue baking for an additional 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles on the end.

Note: One thing I will change next time I make this recipe is to either make three smaller loaves instead of two large loaves or make four braids instead of three.

The loaves were a little too long for the baking sheet so the ends got stuck on the oven rack. I had to have help getting them out of the oven. It's a good thing my taste tester was there to help or I might have dropped them on the floor. I didn't send him away this time. He was a good helper!

 

Remove the foil, then bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer to make sure the centers are done.  Cool the loaves on the pan a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then set the loaves directly on the wire rack to cool thoroughly.






Serving and Storing:

You can serve this bread warm, or cool, or toasted; however, the bread slices best when cool. Be sure to cool it completely before placing in a plastic bag or foil. It will keep at room temperature for 3 days and may be frozen for up to 2 months.




Well, I didn't actually get to taste the traditional challah because I gave the loaves away for Father's Day. So I'm unable to say if that version tastes similar or better than this no knead version. However, I will say that this challah is a little dry. I'm pretty sure I added too much flour. It still tastes good though especially toasted with butter. I think it would make really good french toast. I'll have to try it. I froze one of the loaves so I can save it for french toast another day.

All in all, I had fun with this method and I think it is worth another try, however, I also enjoyed making challah the traditional way. The no knead method is supposed to reduce the time spent baking, however, I didn't think Peter Reinhart's recipe was difficult at all. With either method, I think the key is to plan your preparation and baking time so it fits your schedule.



Happy Baking!

Cathy