Raisin/Apple Yeast Water Challah
There are pictures in this thread of the YW and levains
https://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/70160/yw-challah#comment-505885
The crumb is very much like the Hokkaido bread!!! Wow that 10 min intensive mix really worked. So tender and light and so fragrant. Amazing bread
This is more like what I usually get when I bake this decades old ,originally ADY , yeast bread.
I changed a few things. I used my YW without refreshing it as the fruit was still floating and it was fizzy. I made 2 levains subtracting from the total flour and water of the original formula. The levains were made using YW from the surface for one and sludge with added clear YW for the second. I used YW as the remaining liquid in the formula as well so essentially three forms of the same rising agent.
I always autolyse all ingredients for one hour and did so today. I always use my Kitchen aid mixer on 2 for 5 min after the autolyse but today I decided to try what others have been doing and head toward an intensive mix so I did 10 full minutes at level 2. Pulled a lovely windowpane!
Amazing plush dough. Rising time was 2 hrs to double. Shaped easily and 2 hr rise again. Egg wash baked 350/ 35 min.
Rich pastry fragrance fat well risen browned braids. I had stopped making Challah as I was pursuing other multigrain breads and techniques. This is how my Challah looked from the 70’s on until recently when I wasn’t really paying attention to details.
My YW with fruit and a batch of YW flour starter in the fridge will both be traveling to FL next week for a month. I’ve never done this before but I want to solidify the things I did today. Guess I will pack the KA mixer too 😩
Comments
I am not familiar with this type of bread but it looks really good. Are you using YW exclusively now, no more SD starter?
https://www.google.com/search?q=challah&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS676US676&oq=challah&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i59l2j35i39j69i60j69i61.3450j0j7&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
I have baked Challah since the ‘70’s. I am not of the Jewish faith and have greatly adapted the recipe over the years.
I definitely still use SD and it was in almost all my recent Pullman loaves. I just really love YW and it’s easy to maintain and adds great non- sour flavor and extended freshness to breads. These loaves turned out especially well. One of the many challenges is consistently getting the same outcome. Bennie has it down pat!
Great, thanks for the info. Oh yeah, our friend Benny is always ahead of the game, his sugar daddy starter is on my list to try once I have my new liquid SD starter worked out.
Oh yeah that crumb looks amazing, loving it, good work on this bake.
It turned out perfectly and the texture paired with the fragrance and a paper thin crisp crust is sublime
Awesome Caroline, I am definitely of the mind that to get that beautiful rise and gorgeous fine crumb one needs to fully develop that gluten up front as you did and you were rewarded with this incredible bread. Well done!
Benny
I always felt the gluten was developed enough and in the old days when I kneaded by hand It was like this texture. But I got away from the hand kneading and did only folding and used heavier grains so wasn't thinking about or expecting a crumb like this. Then you started your explorations on intensive mixing and I thought well this is an enriched dough so why not try it ? Unbelievable what 10 min does. Like magic.
Always nice to learn more new things. This has been a year of learning a bunch of new techniques in the kitchen. Thank you .c
What lovely crumb, and crust too!
It is probably the best version of this bread I have made in decades. Now…. Can I do it again 😬? We shall see.
Funny thing about this batch of YW. I used so much that I went ahead and added filtered water to the container up to the usual line. I never do that and leave old fruit but I wanted to get whatever “ magic” I could from the old fruit. Set it aside and came back to it a few hours later and the old fruit was floating and gas had gathered under the lid! Well my shock was real. I stuck it in the fridge. Will see what’s what today. I have organic apples and plenty of organic raisins so will change out when these “ superdooper “ ones decide to quit.