Have you seen the Philly Challah Fairy’s challot?
Have you wondered: how can I get one?
How does the Fairy get them so pretty?
Well, here is a peek behind the curtain at the Challah Fairy’s recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 – 4 ½ Cups of All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ Cup of Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 Large Egg Yolk (Reserve the white for the egg wash)
- 1/4 cup neutral-flavored vegetable oil, such as canola
- 1 Cup Lukewarm water
- 2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
Equipment
- 2 large mixing bowl
- 1 – 2 Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Pastry Brush
Instructions
1. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl mix 4 cups of flour, sugar, and salt, whisk to combine
2. Add Eggs, Yolk, and Oil: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, I usually use the button of the one cup measuring up. Add the two eggs, egg yolk, and oil. Whisk to form a slurry, pulling in a little flour from the sides of the bow
3. Once you have formed a slurry: Add 1 cup lukewarm water 2 teaspoons of yeast to the slurry.
4. Mix to form a shaggy dough. Mix the yeast, eggs, and flour with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a shaggy dough that is difficult to mix forms.
5. Knead the dough: dump out the dough onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for about 8 -10 minutes it is important to time yourself.
6. Let the dough rise until doubled: Take the second large bowl and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Place the dough in the oiled bowl making sure to coat both sides in oil. Cover with plastic wrap, and place somewhere warm, I like to put my dough in the oven. Let the dough rise until doubled in bulk for 2 hours.
7. Divide the dough and roll into ropes: After the 2 hours divide the dough into 2 or 3 equal parts depending on how many loaves you would like. Then divide each loaf into 3 equal parts. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope about 10-12 inches long.
8. Braid the dough. Gather the ropes and squeeze them together at the very top. If making a 3-stranded challah, braid the ropes together like braiding hair or yarn and squeeze the other ends together when complete.
9. Let the challah rest again: Line 1 or 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the braided loaves on top and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place away from drafts until puffed and pillowy, about 45 minutes.
10. Preparing to bake: With the pastry brush and the egg whites, you will want to egg wash each loaf generously with egg white. This is the time to add any toppings, maybe sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
11. Bake the challah for 30 minutes. Bake the challah at 350 Degrees, until the challah is deeply browned and registers 190°F in the very middle with an instant-read thermometer, 30 to 35 minutes total.
12. Cool the challah. Let the challah cool on a cooling rack until just barely warm. Slice and eat.
To follow the Challah Fairy’s adventures follow @Tribe12philly and @Hannahschallah on Instagram
