Is the fix for these “missed” spots as simple as another egg wash during the baking rise? I worry about disturbing the bake.
Shabbat Shalom! My go-to challah recipe (Modern Jewish Baker, by Shannon Sarna) but I never seem to get a good shine and coverage with egg wash. The rise during baking means missed spots.
by BrinaElka
22 Comments
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Svarasaurus
The missed spots are my favorite part! I don’t understand the trend of recoating it.
Next-Sir3249
It looks amazing as is! You did a great job, leave it be!
SkinnyPete16
It may be under-proofed and so when its baking it’s just exploding. Let it proof a bit longer and you may not have such pronounced stretch marks.
It just needed a little longer to rise! That’ll reduce oven spring, which will in turn reduce some of that pulling you’ve gotten between the strands.
Greenbook2024
Shabbat shalom! I have the same question. Iirc it still happens when I let the dough rise longer.
pyrotechnicmonkey
You could a little bit. However, I think in this case it’s probably just a little bit under proof. It’s best usually to go by feel especially on braided loaf that has a bit more tension at first.
black-boots
Personally, I’m going to want some of those missed spots if I tear off a piece to snack on!
IHaveNoEgrets
I love a good challah! I’ve tried to make it myself, but it went flat. Like, sad little pancake braid. I need to try again.
squidreynolds
I always egg wash right when I shape, and then a second time right before going in the oven. You can do another wash about 15 minutes into baking if it is rising a lot!
thisothernameth
I’m in a bread baking club and we usually aim for this kind of oven spring. It’s a sign of quality and to me it does not look underproofed. That being said, we let our challahs, or Zopf how we call them, rise without egg wash and only apply a thin layer of eggwash directly before baking. A pinch of salt and a small splash of water helps making the eggwash really really thin, so you’re not poking the bread when applying it. The salt also helps with a nice shine.
anon_climber
I would braid it a little looser! So that when it proofs, more of the surface area will be exposed for you to egg wash
Natural-Debate-2682
After I braid, I do an egg wash and put the bread in a cold oven, set to 350. When the preheat is done, it has risen just enough to benefit from a 2nd wash.
HAETMACHENE
Piggy-backing on the KAF comment, when you are checking for proofing, you want to ever so gently press into the bread, no more than 1/2 an inch deep.
If it springs back nearly all the way, it means it can grow a lot more, and baking now will result in what you got (bread opening with visual of the gluten strands).
If you wait a bit longer and the bread springs back no more than half way, you should be at a good spot to egg wash and put it in. The bread should still grow a bit in the oven but should not tear itself open like the previous loaf.
Finally, if you test and it doesn’t springs back at all, it should still be good, but if you wait any longer, the bread will start to flatten and, eventually, overproof (bread ends up flatter and smelling yeastier). The further along in the proof the bread is, the more delicate its going to be, so always be careful with the wash at this stage.
I hope this helps.
Impossible-Try-202
I made hundreds of loaves a week back in the day. I wouldn’t worry about adding wash, this is how our loaves always behaved. Then again we had hundreds to make in a normal restaurant kitchen while the restaurant was active, so we did not wait long to get them in the big oven. Not everything needs to resemble a bagel, that spread apart braid is like an advertisement for the soft chewy bread.
The wash areas in the pic are a little dark, maybe take it out sooner, or thin out the wash with water.
newtoreddit247
I take mine out midway and lightly brush with the egg wash again. Makes it nice and brown.
Fuzzy_Welcome8348
This looks absolutely gorgeous😍😍😍
Bakingsquared80
Good Shabbos 🥰
fatkidclutch
CRAP! That reminds me, I forgot to buy bread for Sabbath LOL
ADKJan
This is just the most wonderful series of interactions. ***Waving both hands*** another KAB fangirl here 😊
crafty_traveler
Shabbat shalom! You got all the answers it seems. It helped me too!
wonderfullywyrd
just my two cents: on a German „Hefezopf“, this is the intended look, and a sign of a successful bake 🙂 it is achieved by baking it before it’s not quite fully proofed, and in a dry oven. so in order to avoid this look, proof longer, and probably also use some steam
22 Comments
If you are looking for assistance with a specific result or bake, you may need to provide a recipe in order to receive advice. This community may not be able to help you without details from your recipe (ingredients, techniques, baking times and temps).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Baking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The missed spots are my favorite part! I don’t understand the trend of recoating it.
It looks amazing as is! You did a great job, leave it be!
It may be under-proofed and so when its baking it’s just exploding. Let it proof a bit longer and you may not have such pronounced stretch marks.
Mine: https://share.icloud.com/photos/0f8Z-18X0ShxOx-5V-gP5304Q
It just needed a little longer to rise! That’ll reduce oven spring, which will in turn reduce some of that pulling you’ve gotten between the strands.
Shabbat shalom! I have the same question. Iirc it still happens when I let the dough rise longer.
You could a little bit. However, I think in this case it’s probably just a little bit under proof. It’s best usually to go by feel especially on braided loaf that has a bit more tension at first.
Personally, I’m going to want some of those missed spots if I tear off a piece to snack on!
I love a good challah! I’ve tried to make it myself, but it went flat. Like, sad little pancake braid. I need to try again.
I always egg wash right when I shape, and then a second time right before going in the oven. You can do another wash about 15 minutes into baking if it is rising a lot!
I’m in a bread baking club and we usually aim for this kind of oven spring. It’s a sign of quality and to me it does not look underproofed. That being said, we let our challahs, or Zopf how we call them, rise without egg wash and only apply a thin layer of eggwash directly before baking. A pinch of salt and a small splash of water helps making the eggwash really really thin, so you’re not poking the bread when applying it. The salt also helps with a nice shine.
I would braid it a little looser! So that when it proofs, more of the surface area will be exposed for you to egg wash
After I braid, I do an egg wash and put the bread in a cold oven, set to 350. When the preheat is done, it has risen just enough to benefit from a 2nd wash.
Piggy-backing on the KAF comment, when you are checking for proofing, you want to ever so gently press into the bread, no more than 1/2 an inch deep.
If it springs back nearly all the way, it means it can grow a lot more, and baking now will result in what you got (bread opening with visual of the gluten strands).
If you wait a bit longer and the bread springs back no more than half way, you should be at a good spot to egg wash and put it in. The bread should still grow a bit in the oven but should not tear itself open like the previous loaf.
Finally, if you test and it doesn’t springs back at all, it should still be good, but if you wait any longer, the bread will start to flatten and, eventually, overproof (bread ends up flatter and smelling yeastier). The further along in the proof the bread is, the more delicate its going to be, so always be careful with the wash at this stage.
I hope this helps.
I made hundreds of loaves a week back in the day. I wouldn’t worry about adding wash, this is how our loaves always behaved. Then again we had hundreds to make in a normal restaurant kitchen while the restaurant was active, so we did not wait long to get them in the big oven. Not everything needs to resemble a bagel, that spread apart braid is like an advertisement for the soft chewy bread.
The wash areas in the pic are a little dark, maybe take it out sooner, or thin out the wash with water.
I take mine out midway and lightly brush with the egg wash again. Makes it nice and brown.
This looks absolutely gorgeous😍😍😍
Good Shabbos 🥰
CRAP! That reminds me, I forgot to buy bread for Sabbath LOL
This is just the most wonderful series of interactions. ***Waving both hands*** another KAB fangirl here 😊
Shabbat shalom! You got all the answers it seems. It helped me too!
just my two cents: on a German „Hefezopf“, this is the intended look, and a sign of a successful bake 🙂 it is achieved by baking it before it’s not quite fully proofed, and in a dry oven. so in order to avoid this look, proof longer, and probably also use some steam