Sometimes it’s the kind of day when your energy is such that there is no option but to bake. Lightly sweet and eggy challah bread is what came immediately to mind on this drizzly Madrid afternoon (oh yes, I’ve moved!). The braiding also intrigued.
One major sticking point is that I lack an oven in the piso I’ve found in Madrid – yes, I am going to have to get creative with cuisine; watch what happens!! In this case, the solution was to involve nearby friends as baking buddies.
Yeast in Spanish is “levadura,” but if you pick up a box of “levadura en polvo,” you will end up with a baking soda mixture of dubious origin. If you’ve never encountered fresh yeast before, do not fear – one of these lil’ puppies is equivalent to the packets Americans are more used to, and either should work just fine for this recipe.
Warning: the enticing scent of honey will weave its naughty way into every corner of your house while your doughbaby rises. And rise it does, rapidly doubling in size as the yeast scarfs up the sugars.
I went with a glass breadpan, but in retrospect leaving it in a flat braid on a baking sheet would perhaps have been more aesthetically pleasing. It needs twenty minutes of direct heat, then an aluminum foil tent prevents the top from charring too much.
However, successful bread is much like a child; its parents always believe it the most beautiful possible. The scent of this puppy is unbelievably marvelous, and the gleam of the egg wash is shiny eye candy – although next time I’ll definitely do it after the second rise for better coverage.
The honey and extra yolks in the dough give this dense bread a richness that pairs most sweetly with slightly salty soft cheeses, like the semi-cured sheep’s milk variety in my fridge. I also sampled it with strawberry jam, honey, and a nutella-esque chocolate spread, and recommend all of them, several times over.
Expanded story and more photos here.
Challah
significantly adapted from Joan Callaway’s allrecipes.com post.
makes: one large loaf of challah, which keeps for a few days if you like.
time: 20 min prep, then 1 hour rise, then 10 min prep, another 1 hour rise, and finally 30-40 min baking time. It’s an all-afternoon activity.
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast/1 “cube” fresh yeast
1/3 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 whole egg + 2 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 egg for egg wash (directly before baking)
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Beat in honey, oil, egg and egg yolks, and salt.
2. Add the flour one cup at a time, beating after each addition, graduating to kneading with hands as dough thickens. Knead until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let rise in warm area for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in bulk.
3. Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto floured board. Divide into thirds, knead a minute or so, and roll into long snakes about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Pinch the ends of the three snakes together firmly and braid. Either leave as braid or form into a round braided loaf by bringing ends together, curving braid into a circle, pinch ends together. Lay finished braid on greased baking tray or in breadpan. Cover with towel and let rise about one hour.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
5. Beat the remaining egg and brush a generous amount over braid.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes, then tent with aluminum foil to prevent burning and bake for 20 more minutes. Bread should have a nice hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. Cool on a rack for a few minutes before slicing.
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