Challah Tip: Ideal Challah Baking Temperature and Time (2024)

FAQs

Challah Tip: Ideal Challah Baking Temperature and Time? ›

Baking and doneness temperatures: Many challah recipes call for the braided loaf to be baked at 350°F, some at 375°F, a few at 325°F. I've settled on 350°. The one thing pretty much everyone agrees on is the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer, inserted into the middle of the loaf, registers about 190–200°F.

The best baking temperature for *most* challahs is about 190°C / 365-375°F.

Place the loaf in the oven and bake. After 35 minutes of baking, check the internal temperature of the loaf with your Thermapen ONE. If the lowest temp you see is 195–200°F (91–93°C), the bread is done. Let the bread cool before slicing, then serve and enjoy!

Be careful not to over proof your loaves; if they proof too much, the air bubbles get too big, causing them to pop and then deflate in the oven.

Maybe they rose faster than the recipe stated and they are actually a bit over-risen. This will cause challahs to fall inwards once they are egged. If this is your problem, for your next batch of challahs, set a timer for the rising time to be 5-10 minutes less time than you normally would have let them rise.

Pop the loaves into a 375º oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The loaves should be golden brown.

For lean-dough breads the recommended doneness is 190–210°F (88–99°C), while enriched-dough breads are done at 180–190°F (82–88°C) (S. Labensky, et. all, On Baking, 2nd edition, pg. 190).

It's important to complete this final rise; otherwise the braids may pull apart too much in baking. (But also don't overproof, which can lead to flatter finished results.) The more you do this, the better sense you'll have of how long this process takes in your kitchen and you can leave it alone longer.

If the dough contains at least 1.666 kilo (a little more than 7 cups) of flour, one should take challah with a blessing. If the amount of flour in the dough is more than 1.2 kilo but less than 1.666 (5-7 cups), challah should be taken without a blessing.

If the temperature of your oven is set too high, the challahs will brown too quickly on top, and the tops may burn before the middle is baked. Here is a general guideline for the ideal amount of time and temperature for baking challah, depending on the size of your challahs.

What is the best flour for baking challah? ›

Myrna's original recipe calls for all-purpose flour, and you can substitute that here. But I find bread flour gives the challah a nice chew without making it tough, and also helps the braided loaf maintain its shape after baking. For some novice challah makers, that braid can seem like the hardest part.

Dough can stay in the fridge for up to 24 hours.

Knead on medium-low speed until you have a sticky dough that clings to the bottom of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes. The dough may seem too wet but have faith—it's supposed to be. Dust your hands generously with flour, then scrape the sticky, elastic dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.

To ensure a proper bake, use a thermometer to check the challah's core internal temperature, which should read 90–93 °C / 195–200 °F. When checking for doneness, take the temperature of a single loaf outside a home oven.

TIP: You may need to sprinkle on a small amount of flour to the outside of the dough to keep your mixer working well also. If you have to, turn the mixer off and use your hands to work the dough a bit. By now the dough should have softened considerably. Total kneading time should not exceed 10-12 minutes.

Add another 1/2 – 1 cup of flour to it next time and see if that solves your problem.

Bread is typically done when it has an internal temperature of 190°F. Testing your bread with a food thermometer a few minutes before the recipe suggests it will be done can help ensure that it is baked to your desired doneness and ready to be made into a delicious Pulled Pork Sandwich or dipped in a warm cup of soup.

A temperature of 190°F at the center will yield bread that's fully baked (soft and moist) but not over-baked (tough and dry). For thin/crusty bread with a dry interior, like baguettes, small crusty rolls, or focaccia, rely on crust color to determine the point of optimum doneness.

Consider the Dough Temperature

For most recipes at The Perfect Loaf, the FDT is around 78°F (25°C). If the FDT comes higher, say around 80 or 82°F (26 to 27°C), expect to need to shorten bulk fermentation due to increased fermentation activity.

The challah bread is a pre-formed bread. The Italian bread is set on a higher temperature because the bread is steamed and is baked in a loaf pan .