WATER CHALLAH

4.0 ( 4 )

fay12301/24/11

This is the best water challah I've ever tasted.
The best part is, whether you prefer egg/water challah, you really enjoy this.
When I have more challah dough than I'll need for shabbos, I roll some out to form a big rectangle, spread on sauce, spices and cheese. Roll like a jelly roll, and roll like a snake into a round pan. Bake. I serve it for friday lunch. Like a pizza challah.

SERVING/YIELD
5-6 challahs

PREP TIME

30

min

COOK TIME

35

min

LEVEL

Medium

BLESSING
Hamotzi

RECIPE
#1226

fay123
fay123
chossid
chossid
chossid
chossid
chossid
chossid
chossid
chossid
chossid

INGREDIENTS

4 cup warm/hot water

2 Tbsp yeast

1½ cup sugar

½ cup oil

1½ Tbsp kosher salt

12 cup flour

1 egg (optional (for top)

- sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or other spices (optional)

Put yeast and sugar in bowl.
Add water and stir.
Look out for bubbling.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix.

Place in warm area to rise until double.

Preheat oven to 325

This recipe is large enough for a bracha. Make a bracha, take off a piece the size of kezayis and take a moment to ask Hashem for whatever you want.

Shape your challah.
Place on a greased baking pan.

Brush with egg.
Let it rise until double.

Then brush again with egg.
Sprinkle with seeds or spices.

Place in oven and bake.
Large challah needs about 35 minutes.
Small rolls need about 15 minutes.

Optional: Instead of rising a second time on the counter, you can proof it as follows:
Preheat oven to 200.
As soon as challah is shaped and brushed, Place into oven, close, then turn OFF.
Wait 10 minutes.
Without opening oven, turn back on to 325 and back as usual.

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REVIEWS

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Average user rating from: 4 user(s)

Rating:

4.0 (4)

Rating:

3.0

Reviewed by smolly
August 25, 2011

Five star dough but I would love to borrow your timer since this dough took far from 30min prep time!! I used this recipe to make onion rolls erev the two fast days and I would say the prep time was close to 3 hours between mixing, kneeding, and rising! But the dough was absolutely delicious and great for onion rolls since its moist and sweetish! I sauted a bunch of onions and put a handful of onions in the middle of a handful of dough and pinched it closed. Got great reviews from my siblings and neighbors that i shared it with!

Owner's reply

Actually, I'm very confused about how to calculate prep time. I did not count the time needed for rising, because you just let it sit while you do other things. It takes me 5 minutes to mix the dough. But I do have a Kenwood/Delonghi mixer. So I put in yeast sugar and water, mix with spoon, add oil, salt and half of flour. Turn on mixer for a minute or 2, then add rest of flour and finish mixing. Then I don't do anything until it's ready to shape. Takes 20 minutes to shape it all. Let it rise again - again no sweat. Then egg&sesame takes another minute.
The rising time really depends. Sometimes it rises in half hr and sometimes it needs 3 hrs to rise by me. So that's really hard to calculate. If you can suggest what I should put in for prep time I'll gladly change it.

Delicious!

Rating:

4.0

Reviewed by dbagan1
August 03, 2011

Last updated: August 03, 2011

Just made this last shabbos- and was really good!! Do you think I could use olive oil instead of regular oil?

Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Rating:

4.0

Reviewed by plums
February 10, 2011

end result was amazing, taste and texture amazing, but the dough was hard to manage and shape, it was too sticky.

Owner's reply

As with all dough, the temp/humidity in your house can make a difference. Flour can be added or subtracted according to what will make it work for you. Next time try it with a bit more flour until you get the right dough.

Water challah variations

Rating:

5.0

Reviewed by chossid
February 01, 2011

Last updated: September 25, 2011

Use this dough to make a rolled up garlic bread with oil or margarine and garlic salt (see photo.)

Use this dough to make an onion board or onion rolls (see photo.) To make the first, reconstitute dehydrated onions in boiling water. Sprinkle over rolled out dough. Sprinkle on poppy seeds if desired. Use your fingers to make indentations all over. Let rise, and bake until golden and done.

Use your imagination for other variations (olive bread, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs&mayo, etc.)
****
I recently saw something on a video online somewhere (I think Jamie Geller,) and started doing it it with this recipe. After the dough is pretty much made, I pour some additional oil (maybe another 1/4 cup or so) over the dough and knead it another few minutes. The texture is amazing, and it releases better from the bowl afterwards. I make 1 1/2 times the recipe.)