Honey Whole-Wheat Challah
(2 large or 3 medium loaves)
by Gil Marks
KosherEye.com
As reported by Beverly Levitt in 2010 in Triblive, Gil's piece d'resistance for the High Holidays is his Whole Wheat Challah, which leaves out the eggs and extra fat, using whole wheat, and honey to provide moisture.
Ingredients
2 (1/4-ounce) packages (about 5 teaspoons) active dry yeast or 1-ounce cake (35 grams) fresh yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees for dry yeast; 80 to 85 degrees for fresh yeast)
1/3 to 1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon table salt or 4 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
About 3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Optional: 1 cup raisins or dried currants (or 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots or dates)
Directions
Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup water. Stir in 1 teaspoon honey and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
Blend in the remaining water, remaining honey, oil, salt, and whole-wheat flour. Add enough white flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to make a workable dough.
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until smooth and springy, 10 to 15 minutes. (Lightly oiling your hands before kneading makes whole-wheat dough more manageable.) Knead in the optional fruit.
Place in a greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until almost double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
Punch down the dough. Divide in half or thirds. Shape into rounds, spirals, or crowns and place on greased baking sheets. Cover loosely and let rise until double in bulk, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Bake until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool.
Notes
Kosher, Parve, Bread, Challah
No time to make Challah dough, no problem!
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Selecting a Breadmaker can be confusing.
Especially if one has not previously owned a bread machine. So many choices - one paddle or two? vertical loaves or horizontal loaves? A machine that makes a 1 lb. loaf or a 2 lb. loaf? Size of the actual machine? Ease of use? Settings? Decisions... decisions... decisions!
So let's talk! We have recently tested the newest model, of the Zojirushi (pronounced zo-jih-ROO-shee) bread maker, the Virtuoso BB-PAC 20. In fact, since we have grown so attached to it, let's use its nickname, the Zo. It has moved to a position front and center in our kitchen, right up there with our stand mixer, Vitamix, Coffee Maker, and food processor. Not only are we busily making whole wheat bread for weekday sandwiches, challah for Shabbos, and cinnamon rolls (yumm) much too often, but we have also made jam. strawberry jam to be exact. So simple! Making jam was so easy, that we plan to progress to blueberry and peach jam later this summer.
Yes, the Zo is an investment ($275), but if you have the counter or pantry space available, and if you love fresh bread and preserves, we think that it is well worth the price. If you use it often, studies have indicated that over time, homemade bread costs substantially less than store-bought bread, and is, of course, healthier, (We guess that depends on your ingredient choices.)
Why did we select Zojirushi? – We compared many popular bread machines, some less costly, but liked the features on the Zo. The Home Bakery Virtuoso® Breadmaker (BBBAC20). If you plan to become a regular breadmaker...these features are important.
The Virtuoso bakes a traditional, horizontal-shaped 1 ½ - 2-lb. loaf, has dual kneading blades, 13-hour delay timer, easy to read clock, and many varied menus settings-including basic bread, wheat bread, gluten-free bread, sourdough starter, dough, jam, cake, quick bread and 3 homemade settings for custom recipes. Trust me, we are not techies, but the accompanying recipe book offers easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for each setting. Additionally, the Virtuoso has an exclusive lid heater, which makes even baking and proper browning possible. The dual paddles ensure thorough mixing and kneading and result in a higher rise. The bread pan includes easy-lift handles, ensuring quick and safe loaf removal of the loaves. And there is a large window to watch what's happening.
And, we must share one of our favorite features..the 13-hour delay timer – which allows us to go to bed and wake up to fresh homemade bread in the morning. Sounds so good, doesn't it? Yes, it's truly amazing. We also especially like the dough cycle, which is perfect for mixing up a batch of cinnamon buns, challah, and rolls.
We find the 2 lb. size loaf convenient, some to slice, some to store and even some to freeze. For Shabbos challah, the Zo delivers fresh challah in a hurry on a Friday morning. One 90-minute cycle provides enough dough to make two 1 lb. loaves. We shape them, place them in loaf pans or on our Silpat mat, let them rise for 1 hour, and bake for 30 minutes. Done! By the way, for those readers who are gluten-free, the Zo even offers a setting for you. So, dear readers, if you are in the market for a breadmaker, do consider the ZO, and share your thoughts (and recipes) with us.
To purchase click here: Zojirushi Bread Maker (Amazon).
*This is not a sponsored post. All recommended products are Koshereye tested. We hope to only provide you with amazing Kosher products and recipes. Koshereye may make a small commission if you purchase a product through our Amazon links.