Challah At Me!

A look at both traditional challah and it's counterpart Italian Easter Bread

Episode Description

Join us as our host Dan DaRocha and Chris Houle, an experienced baker and sales consultant at Erika Record Baking Equipment discuss the method for producing both traditional Challah and Italian Easter Bread!

Traditional Challah
Italian Easter Bread

Traditional Challah

Check out our recipe for traditional Challah bread!

Metric Recipe

R

Bread Flour

2.51 kg

R

Granulated Sugar

225g

R

Egg Yolks

190g

R

Whole Eggs

350g

R

Butter

190g

R

Whole Milk

850g

R

Salt

50g

R

Yeast (Dry)

35g

Standard Recipe

R

Bread Flour

5 lb. 8.5 oz.

R

Granulated Sugar

8 oz.

R

Egg Yolks

6.7 oz.

R

Whole Eggs

12.34 oz.

R

Butter

6.7 oz.

R

Whole Milk

1 lb. 14 oz.

R

Salt

1.7 oz.

R

Yeast (Dry)

1.23 oz.

Methodology

Mixing

This is a straight mix, add all your ingredients into a Spiral Mixer and mix for 3 minutes on low and 4 minutes on high.

Bulk Ferment

Let dough bulk ferment for 1 hour.

Scaling

Scale dough into 2.16kg (4 lb. 12.19 oz.) pieces.

Dividing

Divide dough into 60g (2.11 oz.) pieces either by hand or with a 36 part hand divider.

Moulding

Mould each piece of divided dough into a 22.86 cm (9 inch) strand.

Braiding

Braid 6 strands into a braided load and place on sheet pans for proofing.

Proofing

Proof loaves until double in size. This will take approximately 1.5 hours.

Egg Wash

After proofing, be sure to egg wash each loaf.

Bake

Bake loaves at 350° F (176° C) for 20 – 25 minutes. When measured, the loaf’s internal temperature should reach 195° F (90.5° C).

Cool & Serve

Enjoy your freshly baked Challah. Yields approximately 12 braided loaves.

Italian Easter Bread

Check out our recipe for Italian Easter Bread!

Metric Recipe

R

Bread Flour

2.51 kg

R

Granulated Sugar

250g

R

Whole Eggs

540g

R

Vegetable Oil

190g

R

Water

800g

R

Salt

50g

R

Yeast (Dry)

25g

R

Hard Boiled Eggs

30 hard boiled eggs, dyed pastel colors.

Standard Recipe

R

Bread Flour

5 lb. 8.5 oz.

R

Granulated Sugar

8.8 oz.

R

Whole Eggs

1 lb. 3 oz.

R

Vegetable Oil

6.7 oz.

R

Water

1 lb. 12.21 oz.

R

Salt

1.7 oz.

R

Yeast (Dry)

.88 oz.

R

Hard Boiled Eggs

30 hard boiled eggs, dyed pastel colors.

Methodology

Mixing

This is a straight mix, add all your ingredients into a Spiral Mixer and mix for 3 minutes on low and 4 minutes on high.

Bulk Ferment

Let dough bulk ferment for 1 hour.

Scaling

Scale dough into 2.16kg (4 lb. 12.19 oz.) pieces.

Dividing

Divide dough into 60g (2.11 oz.) pieces either by hand or with a 36 part hand divider.

Moulding

Mould each piece of divided dough into a 22.86 cm (9 inch) strand.

Braiding

Braid 6 strands into a braided load and place on sheet pans for proofing.

Proofing

Proof loaves until double in size. This will take approximately 1.5 hours.

Hard Boiled Eggs

After proofing, insert 2 -3 eggs into the loaf by completely pressing them into the dough.

Egg Wash

After proofing, be sure to egg wash each loaf.

Bake

Bake loaves at 350° F (176° C) for 20 – 25 minutes. When measured, the loaf’s internal temperature should reach 195° F (90.5° C).

Glaze

After baking, brush with an apricot glaze and sprinkle with nonpareils.

Serve

Enjoy your freshly baked Italian Easter Bread. Yields approximately 12 braided loaves.

About Erika Record Baking Equipment

Erika Record Baking Equipment is the leading manufacturer and distributor of retail/commercial bakery equipment. For over 20 years, we have provided our customers with both excellent equipment and outstanding customer service. Our products include: bagel/bread/roll slicers, bread and roll systems, cake slicers, cookie presses, depositors, divider/rounders, mixers, sheeters/makeup tables, ovens, and more!

Business Hours

We're here to serve you. Our business hours are Monday - Friday: 8:00AM - 5:00PM EST.

Featured Equipment

If you are interested in any of the equipment depicted in today’s episode of Baker’s Insight, please click below to learn more, or call our sales office at: 800.682.8203.

VIS-R Spiral Mixer

The VIS-R Spiral Mixer is a high quality, reinforced powerhouse perfect for doughs with lower hydration levels. Click here to learn more.

 

Erika Record Hand Divider

The Hand Divider quickly and easily divides dough into 36 or 15 equally sized portions. Click here to learn more.

 

Tagliavini Termovent Electric Convection Oven

The Tagliavini Termovent Electric Convection Oven is a high-quality oven designed to provide consistent and even baking. This includes programmable steam injection. This oven also has a variety of available tray capacities and can be purchased with an available proofing cabinet. Click here to learn more.