Saturday, November 15, 2014

Challah made with Honey and Fresh Ground Wheat!

I have recently discovered Challah.  Oh YUM!  Let me just say that I could easily live on this bread!  It is an "eggy" bread and a sweet bread; or at least I make it sweet.  I have worked on this recipe for a while to make sure that it is as simple as possible.  You'll notice in this picture that I applied the egg wash and then let it rise. That is why you see dry spots. So let your bread rise and then apply the egg wash so the whole bread looks nice!



Ingredients:
1 cup warm water...at least 125 so it will not take as much time to rise
4 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup honey
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 eggs, plus one to brush on the bread
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 to 5 1/2 cups fresh milled hard white or hard red wheat

Directions:
Combine water and honey in a pot and warm on a stove.  Once it is warmed good, add that to your mixing bowl and turn on mixer.  I use a DLX, but a bosch will work just fine.  Add the eggs one at a time being sure not to cook the egg.  When the mixture is at approximately 125 to 130 degrees, add in your yeast, two cups of flour and then the butter and salt.  Mix well.  Let it rest for 20 minutes.  Turn your machine on again and add the remaining of the flour and set to knead for 8 minutes.

Remove from bowl and rub with oil.  Place back in the bowl and put a damp towel over the bowl.  Let it rest from 30 minutes to 3 hours; depending on your needs.  Honestly, this is very forgiving bread!

Remove from bowl and place on a cutting board with flour.  Knead it for about one minute and cut into three equal pieces.  Roll into logs about 12 to 16 inches long and then braid them together on stoneware.  Let it rest for another hour or two.  Brush with an egg.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven to a cooling rack and enjoy!