Sourdough Challah

A few months ago (during hurricane season) I decided it was finally time to dip my toe into the sourdough pool. During one of our days off in September I pulled the trigger and started my own sourdough starter. So after several sourdough loaves I thought it was time to make a sourdough challah, not quite sure what to expect, I made it for shabbat two weeks ago. It turned out delicious. It wasn't tangy like a normal sourdough loaf (which I wouldn't mind), it tasted like a normal challah but with a little bit extra depth of flavor. If you have any questions on how to get your starter going feel free to reach out!

Ingredients:

• 100grams of active sourdough starter

• 5 cups of flour (bread or all purpose flour work best, but you could use whole wheat)

• 10-12 grams of kosher salt

• 1 cup of warm water

• 2 large eggs + 1 yolk

• 1/4 cup of sugar

• 1/2 cup of olive oil

• 1 egg white for egg wash

Step 1: Add warm water to the starter (110-115 degrees work best, if your water gets over 120 degrees it can kill your yeast). I use a stand mixer to knead my bread, so I put all my ingredients (except for the eggs) straight into my mixing bowl.

Step 2: Add olive oil, sugar, and salt to your starter and water - begin to knead slowly.

Step 3: Add eggs and egg yolk one by one to your wet ingredients.

Step 4: Add flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until incorporated.

Step 5: Continue to knead your bread for about 10 minutes. Your dough is ready to proof once it has tacky feel to it, if it is too sticky add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Step 6: Place your dough in a well oiled bowl (again I use my stand mixer bowl unless I need to bowl for something else so I have one less dish to clean). Your first proof should be a minimum of 6 hours. A lot of times I will make my dough the night before. If you make it the night before you can leave it in the fridge but it make in the fridge for at least 8 hours and then it has to come back to room temperature before your braid your dough. I usually just turn my microwave on for 30 seconds and then stick my bowl into the microwave to help the dough rise. If you leave your dough in the fridge or on the counter you should cover it with a warm, clean, damp dishtowel or plastic wrap.

Step 7: Once your dough has gone through the first rise, it’s time to braid. If I’m not going to be home for the day, I will braid my dough first thing in the morning and leave it setting on a cookie sheet in the oven (the oven should be off). If I’m home while my second rise is going on I will place a warm, clean, damp dishtowel on top of my challah while it rises for 1-2 hours. Since you are not using instant or active yeast packets for this recipe the bread may not seem to rise as much, don’t worry in the oven it will become large and fluffy.

Step 8: After 1-2 hours, pre-heat your over to 425 degrees. Put your egg white wash on your bread, you can add a little bit of water if you would like, I usually don’t. If you are adding any toppings to your bread now is the time to do so (sesame seeds, everything but the bagel, poppy, etc.) Once oven comes to temperature, place challah into the oven.

Step 9: Bake for about 20-25 minutes, turn your bread, and continue to bake for another 20 minutes. Your bread should be 190 once it’s fully baked and have nice golden outside.