Whole Wheat Challah Bread

We have a little tradition around these parts. Every Friday night I bake up some whole wheat challah bread (a traditionally Jewish braided bread made with an egg base) and EmW cooks up something delicious and fancy for a special meal. We like this tradition a whole lot. It brings structure to our weeks, it brings a little class to start the weekends off right. This is another long-winded, multi-step recipe but I am confident you can do it.

Roll up your sleeves, clear your schedule, and get ready to impress yourself. Along the way you’ll learn some sweet secret lingo like “The Soaker” and “The Biga” and, oh my, “The Final Dough!” This knowledge will likely intimidate all of your friends. You’ll be feeling all affectionate toward your beautiful braided bread babies in a flash. If you’re like me, you might even make your buddy snap an embarrassing number of pictures of you holding your loaves. People might call you crazy for cradling challah loaves like newborns but don’t worry, I understand, this bread is something to be proud of.
-EmB

Whole Wheat Challah Bread
(adapted from Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks...her directions are thorough and very easy to follow)

PART ONE: THE SOAKER (Day 1)

1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour, preferably pastry flour
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup water

1. Mix all the soaker ingredients together in a bowl for about 1 minute, until all of the flour is hydrated and the ingredients form a ball of dough.

2. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. (If it will be more than 24 hours, place the soaker in the refrigerator; it will be good for up to 3 days. Remove it 2 hours before mixing the final dough to take off the chill.)


PART TWO: THE BIGA (Day 2)

1 ¾ cups unbleached bread flour
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
7 tablespoons filtered or spring water, at room temperature
1 large egg, slightly beaten
4 egg yolks

1. Mix all of the biga ingredients together in a bowl to form a ball of dough. Using wet hands, knead the dough in the bowl for 2 minutes to be sure all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and the flour is fully hydrated. The dough should feel very tacky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then knead it again with wet hands for 1 minute. The dough will become smoother but still be tacky.

2. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours a day and up to 3 days.

3. About 2 hours before mixing the final dough, remove the biga from the refrigerator to take off the chill. It will have risen slightly but need not have risen significantly in order to use it in the final dough.

PART THREE: THE FINAL DOUGH (Day 2)

Use all of the soaker
Use all of the biga
7 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast

2 ½ tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

- extra whole wheat flour for adjustments
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water plus a pinch of salt for egg wash
- poppy seeds or sesame seeds for topping (optional)

1. Using a metal scraper, chop the soaker and the biga into 12 smaller pieces each (or as close to 12 as you can get, don’t fret it, this just makes the mixing process a little easier)

2. If mixing by hand, combine the soaker and biga pieces in a bowl with the 7 tablespoons flour and the salt, yeast, honey, and vegetable oil. Stir vigorously with a mixing spoon or knead with wet hands for about 2 minutes, until all of the ingredients are evenly integrated and distributed into the dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky; if not, add more flour or water as needed. If using a stand mixer, put the pre-dough pieces in the bowl along with the 7 tablespoons of flour and the salt, yeast, honey, and vegetable oil. Mix on slow speed with the paddle attachment (preferable) or the dough hook for 1 minute to bring the ingredients together into a ball. Switch to the dough hook if need be and mix on medium-low speed, occasionally scraping down the bowl, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pre-dough becomes cohesive and assimilated into each other. Add more flour or water as needed until the dough is soft and slightly sticky.

3. Dust a work surface with flour, then roll the dough in the flour to coat. Knead the dough by hand for 3 to 4 minutes, incorporating only as much extra flour as needed, until the fought feels soft and tacky, but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball and let it rest on the work surface for 5 minutes while you prepare a clean, lightly oiled bowl.

4. Resume kneading the dough for 1 minute to strengthen the gluten and make any final flour or water adjustments. The dough should have strength and pass the windowpane test, yet still feel soft, supple, and very tacky. Form the dough into a ball and place it in the prepared bowl, rolling to coat with oil. Cover loosely with a dishcloth or plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for approximately 45 to 60 minutes, until it is about 1 ½ times its original size.

5. Gently transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface (try not to rip or tear the dough). I suggest you make two large loaves but if you are a confident braider and want to try several smaller loaves or one massive one, go right ahead. Using the metal scraper, slice the dough cleanly (do not tear) into three equal pieces. Now using your hands, carefully roll each piece out to a rope of about 20 inches and then cut each rope in half. Cover the dough ropes loosely with a dishcloth and let rest for about 5 minutes. Three-piece braiding: Lay three equal strands side by side. Start by overlapping one of the outside strands over the middle strand. Take the opposite outside strand and lay it over the new middle strand. Continue this pattern until you run out of dough. Pinch the end closed. Rotate the loaf 180 degrees and repeat the pattern. Braid both loaves.

6. Place the braided loaves on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Brush the egg wash on the loaves and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

7. Brush the dough with egg wash a second time, then top with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Leave the dough uncovered to continue rising for 15 more minutes. Preheat the oven to 400F.

8. Place the challah on the middle shelf, reduce the heat to 325F and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the loaf 180 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes. Check the bread. It is done when the bread is a rich brown all over around and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. If it needs more time, rotate again and continue baking for another 10 minutes. Check frequently because over baked bread will be a bit dry and off in texture.

9. Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and let it cool for at least 1 hour before serving. (Unless you like it warm…I like to eat mine as soon as it’s cool enough to grab at the insides without burning my impatient fingers).