This dairy-free sourdough challah was a challenging recipe to develop. You want the dough to be as soft and flavorful as possible, which is at odds with having a firm dough that’s easy to braid so you don’t lose the beautiful braids during baking. Dare I say I figured out the perfect balance. This sourdough challah is soft, light, open, subtly sweet, and has lots of flavor thanks to natural fermentation.
*Get the full (printable) recipe here:* https://www.theperfectloaf.com/sourdough-challah/
*Levain ingredients:*
● 131g High-protein white bread flour
● 52g Superfine white sugar (or granulated sugar)
● 131g Water
● 52g Ripe sourdough starter, 100% hydration
*Tangzhong ingredients:*
● 79g High-protein white bread flour
● 214g Water
*Main dough mix ingredients:*
● 397g Medium-protein white flour
● 187g High-protein white bread flour
● 293g (All*) Tangzhong (from Step 2)
● 159g Egg
● 34g Egg yolk
● 36g Oil 1: Vegetable oil
● 36g Oil 2: Vegetable oil
● 27g Superfine sugar (or granulated sugar)
● 48g Honey
● 17g Fine sea salt
● All the ripe levain
● All the tangzhong
*Be sure to check out the full recipe for more detail on each of these steps at the link at the top of the description.*
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*Timestamps*
00:00 Sourdough challah introduction
00:18 Technique 1: Sweet overnight levain
00:27 Technique 2: Precook flour (tangzhong)
00:42 Mixing and the importance of gluten development
01:34 Beginning of bulk fermentation
01:44 End of 4.5 hour bulk fermentation
01:50 Divide and preshape dough
02:45 Roll out strands
03:16 How to braid a 4-strand challah
04:28 End of proof
04:41 Bake
04:47 You’re gonna love this challah (outro)
#bread #baking #theperfectloaf
21 Comments
I wanted to make challah for the first time this Easter! Thank you for the recipe. Also your overnight pancake recipe is the BEST EVER, hands down, no competition.
Do you have any recipes using freshly milled flour? How would using FMF change your existing recipes?
Thank you for sharing and showing us how to make a perfect Challah. I can’t wait to make it.
That Ooni Halo looks great! Thx for the recipe
It took me over two years to come up with my sourdough challah recipe which looks very close to yours lol. However I’ve never added sugar to the levain; intriguing. My recipe is really flexible for various shapes, which, if you’re Jewish you know shapes can matter for different holidays. I’ve also stuffed it with everything from za’atar butter to cinnamon apples. Yours look gorgeous!
Can you tell me, please, what wood are your countertopsmade of? Are they hard maple? They also look like they could be cherry. Thank you very much! Ned
This video is so well done! You explain everything so throughly and it's appreciated! Was lead here from your newsletter (which is awesome 🙂 ) and I really enjoyed the article about the history of this bread! So fascinating! Thank you for your content! I am learning so much from your channel,newsletter and book!
Thank you!! Love all your recipes. Jesus loves you
I watched a woman make this bread and she began braiding it about a third of the way down the loaf, leaving the top strands open. She worked her way down to the bottom, then tucked it under and then worked her way back up to the top and then tucked it under. Keeping the loaf from having that bulky top and narrow skinny bottom.
Amazing recipe thanks a lot
Would love to see your review on Ooni Halo
Thank you, sir!
Hello I have your book but really love the videos! When you say 52g of ripe starter for the levain, does that mean 52 g of starter that is straight from the fridge or 52 g of starter that has been fed flour and water and left to rise?
Beautiful! I've been searching for a good sourdough challah recipe, so i can't wait to try this 😊
Thank you for making this video and sharing Maurizio. Which brand/model is the mixer/kneader you're showing here?
How do you like the Ooni Halo mixer?
Hi Maurizio. I see that you have the ooni new mixer. Is it available for purchase already, or how did you get your hands on it? Also, any insight on it? I currently have the ankarsrum. Thank you
Thank you for your hard work sir🙏❤️
You should learn to pronunciate "challah". It is not "Hallah". https://youtu.be/MSdqkJUCHnk?si=PqYlQQNxmF6A_Vs1
Yeyyyyy another videooooo
וואו… רק התחלתי לצפות, אבל חייבת להגיב כבר עכשיו- לפני 3 שבועות התחלתי עם בצק מחמצת. ויתרתי על חלות מחמצת ,כי ראיתי שהמרקם,גם כשאני מנסה 'לחם סנדויץ',עדיין לא רך כמו חלה. אולי עכשיו אוכל להכין גם לשבת,מחמצת ולא משמרים תעשיתיים! תודה ושבוע טוב
Hi, that challah looks spectacular…thanks for sharing the recipe with all of us. Do you think I could make the dough without a mixer (because my old KitchenAid mixer broke a week ago and I need to save up a little to buy another one😉). Maybe with a good French kneading? Until I get a good gluten mesh…🤞