No-Knead Challah Bread is soft, rich, and so easy to make. All you need is a bowl and a spoon to mix it up. This bread makes the best ever Challah Bread French Toast. (click here for the recipe)
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No-Knead Challah Bread:
I grew up on the west coast and had never heard of Challah bread until I moved to New York. I did not know what I was missing out on. YUM, this bread is rich and so soft, with just a hint of sweetness from the honey. It is my grandkids’ all-time favorite bread for French Toast. Any old or stale Challah – a rare event- is given a new life in the form of bread pudding.
What Do I Need To Make Challah?
Challah bread is a rich yeast bread that gets it richness from butter and egg yolks. In addition to the butter, you will need all-purpose flour, water, salt, honey, and Gold SAF instant yeast. (click here).
Do you need to use SAF Gold instant yeast, or can I use the regular red instant yeast? SAF gold is explicitly designed for dough that is rich in fat and sugar. Both of these ingredients tend to inhibit the growth of the yeast. It is best to use SAF gold. However, if you don’t have any gold and don’t want to spend the coin to purchase a one-pound bag, then increase the amount of red yeast by 1 teaspoon.
How Do I Make No-Knead Challah Bread?
This bread is sooo easy. Watch the video for a demonstration on how to do the envelope folds. The envelope folds take the place of kneading. This technique yields a bread is just as soft, moist, and spongy as Challah bread made in a stand mixer.
How Do I make a Four-Strand Challah Braid?
After the last envelope fold, cover the bread and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours.
1. Once the bread has finished rising for 1 1/2 hours, divide the dough into 4 pieces.
2. Roll each piece into a 24-inch log. If you want a thicker loaf, make each strand 18 inches long.
3. Bring the strands together at one end (figure 1), then cross strand 4 over strand 2 (figure 2).
4. Next, cross strand 1 over strand 3(figure 3) and finally cross the center two strands (figure 4).
5. Repeat steps 3 (figure 5) and step 4 (figure 6) until the braid is completed. Finish with the center cross. (Figure 7)
6. Trim off the ends, (this compresses the ends together)
7. Tuck the trimmed end under. (figure 8)
8. DONE! Yea, you just made a four-strand Challah braid!
Brush the braid with the egg-white wash, cover, and let it rise for another hour. Toward the end of the hour preheat the oven to 375-degrees F. Once the braid is puffy and double in size, wash a second time with the egg whites and bake for 30-40 minutes. Check the internal temperature with an instant read thermometer at 30 minutes. The bread is done when the temperature is 190-degrees F. Don’t let the bread overbake, or it will be dry.
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Equipment
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Ingredients
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour (541 grams)
- 2 tsp. yeast SAF instant Gold, if use SAF Red use 3 tsp. of yeast.
- 2 tsp salt sea salt
- 1 tbsp honey (33 grams)
- 3 eggs 2 whole + 1 yolk, Save the white for the egg wash.
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 1 cup water (227g) warm to 110-degrees F
Egg White Wash
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp. water
Instructions
- Add all of the dry ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix together. (flour, yeast, salt)
- Add the wet ingredients (water, honey, melted butter, eggs). Stir until flour is moistened about 1-2 minutes
- Let rest 5 minutes and remix with the spoon.
- Lightly oil your work surface and place dough on the work surface.
- Do a total of 4 envelope folds five minutes apart, place the dough back in the mixing bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1½ hours.
- After 1½ hours split the dough into 4 equal parts and roll each piece into a 24-inch log.
- Bring one end of the logs together and braid a four-strand braid as demonstrated in the video.
- Make the egg wash by whisking together the egg white. water and sugar. and lightly wash the braided loaf with the egg wash. Cover and let rise another hour. Toward the end of the hour preheat the oven to 375°F.
- At the end of the hour, the loaf should be puffy and almost double in size. Rewash the loaf with the egg wash one more time and bake for 30 - 40 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the loaf. The loaf is done when the internal temperature is 190 degrees F.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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