One of the great things about Twitter is I find absurd stuff like this:
It's times like this that makes me sad all over again that my dear online friend Steve Krodman (aka Eli's Son) succumbed to ALS on January 11, 2019.
He was a "pip" as they used to say back in ye olden times. I'd even go so far as to say he was a renaissance man. Devoted to his wife and daughters, he was also religiously observant with a quick wit, an intense sense of humor. Oh, and he was a great "foodie." Taking into consideration him holding a position of high esteem in his temple, as well as his foodie inclinations, when I happened to find the hilariously GOYISHE recipe in the image above, this would have been something I would have shared with him and we would have gotten plenty of laughs out of this.
Serendipitously the same week I made this discovery, I happened to go through a folder in my email where I toss recipes friends email me. Within that folder happened to be a recipe for Steve's daughter's challah--which I will share entirely as he provided it (at the bottom of this post).
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and I am contemplating making a loaf, and think of Steve fondly, and hope his family (as well as the universe of friends online and IRL, his Princeton buddies, friends from the Saltmine, and especially his friends from the Men's Club & shul members) are all doing well. I miss his regular stories on any of his blogs--Steve really knew how to grab a reader's attention.
If any of Steve's friends or family are reading this--I hope you are well. And for those of you unfamiliar with Steve, I highly recommend reading his blogs, as he has left a great legacy of stories for us all.
http://cheeseaisle.blogspot.com
http://elisson1.blogspot.com
http://concentrated-mind.blogspot.com
The only thing I will do differently is the braiding, and will attempt this style and set it up to proof in a springform pan (and I might put that in a Dutch oven and start to bake it in a cold oven as I turn the oven on). If I do manage to bake this loaf, I will share a photo herein. Stay tuned!
Also--I see that the recipe calls for 3 eggs + 1 yolk. What to do with that spare egg white? I think as the bread bakes, I'll use that egg white in a Pisco sour. I am sure Steve would approve! L'chayam!
So without further a-do: Melissa's Challah!
Melissa’s Challah
5 cups (25 oz) bread flour
2 tsp table salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp active dry yeast dissolved in ¼ cup warm water
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 cup milk or water, room temperature
Combine 3 cups (15 oz) flour with sugar and salt; set aside. Dissolve 2 tsp active dry yeast in ¼ cup warm (110-115°F) water. Beat the eggs. Add the milk (or water, if desired), the honey, and finally the yeast-water mixture; mix well.
Pour the egg-milk mixture into the dry ingredients and, stirring with a spatula, combine to form a loose, sticky dough. Add the remaining 2 cups (10 oz) flour gradually until dough is the right texture. Knead for 10 minutes.
Rest the dough in a greased bowl; cover with plastic wrap.
When the dough has doubled in size (about two hours hours), punch down. Separate the dough into three equal portions and shape into globes. Allow to rest for ~15 minutes.
Roll each globe out into a long strip. Braid the strips to form a loaf. Place on pan lined with baking parchment; rest for one hour. Brush with egg wash (1 egg yolk plus 1 tsp water) and sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired. Bake in 350°F oven until internal temperature reaches 200°F, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
NOTE: For braiding tips, visit http://theshiksa.com/2010/08/26/challah-bread-part-2-how-to-braid-challah/. Above instructions are for a three-strand braid, but you may wish to try four- or six-strand braids instead.
Notes:
I use rapid rise yeast, but any dry yeast will do. For flour, I recommend King Arthur unbleached bread flour.
Honey – My favorites are tupelo and buckwheat, but if you want a real taste of Israel, try date honey (which is not technically honey at all, but a syrup made from dates).
You will get the best results if you measure out the flour by weight – it’s also a lot quicker. I use an electronic kitchen scale.
Use water instead of milk if you want a parve loaf. I switched from milk to water some time ago and I’m just as happy with the results if not more so.
This can be done entirely by hand, but these days I will use a Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the dough hook for combining the last two cups of flour, after which I’ll let the machine knead the dough for five minutes. Then I’ll knead by hand for the remaining five minutes. I do the kneading on a granite counter with a dusting of flour. Kneading by hand helps you know if the gluten is developing; the dough will be springy and slightly sticky. (A bench scraper is handy if the dough is especially sticky.)
I bake my loaves in a convection oven, but a conventional oven will work just fine – just be sure it’s calibrated properly.
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