Teruma Recipe – Challah

David Mendes

Recipe makes 2 large challas or 4 small ones.

For the dough

1 kg plain flour

10 gr salt

35 gr caster sugar

20 gr dry yeast

2 eggs

100 gr vegetable oil

360 gr cold water

Method

1) Make a yeast starter. In a mixing bowl, and using a whisk, mix the dry yeast, a little of the water in the recipe, and 2 tablespoons of the plain flour. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.

2) In a large size bowl, place the flour, sugar, oil, eggs, and almost all the remaining cold water, add the yeast starter and start kneading the dough. When the mixture starts to form into rough dough, add more of the water if needed, and when the dough starts to become smooth, add the salt to the dough. The dough will be ready when it’s smooth, elastic, and stretches without tearing. Roll the dough into a ball.

3) Pour into a separate mixing bowl, brushed with a bit if oil. Brush the dough ball as well. Cover the dough ball with cling film (it needs to cover and touch the dough), and place a towel on top of the bowl. Allow the dough to double its size.

4) Once the dough has doubled in size, beat the dough with your strong and loving hands to remove any air from the dough. Keep balls of dough in one order, this way you allow each of them a rest between the steps while working on the others. Cut the dough in four, and each quarter in three, each three pieces will make one challa. Make a ball from each piece of dough. Roll each out flat then roll into a thick cylinder. Roll each cylinder into a thin strand. Join 3 strands at one end, and create a single plait out of them.

5) Line up cake tins with baking paper. Place the plaits in the tins and allow the two plaits to rise until they have doubled in size.

6) While the plaits are rising preheat the oven to 180c. Double brush the challahs with egg yolks. Bake for 25 – 27 minutes, or until the dough reaches deep golden brown colour and the sides of the challah are separate from the baking tin.

NOTE: For regular shape of challah. Once the plaits are rolled, place on a baking tray lined up with baking paper, and leave to rise.

David Mendes is the founder of Baking Dreams Together, a professional consulting service for restaurants, hotels, bakeries and caterers and a provider of baking classes, dessert classes and chocolate workshops. David is a graduate of the Tadmor Culinary Institute in Israel and a VALRHONA Chocolate chef training course in the South of France. He has worked as a Chef Patissier in top restaurants in Tel Aviv and London. For more information: http://www.bakingdreamstogether.com/index.php/about