Holy Communion Liturgy

Sourdough Challah

Note: During the pandemic, more and more people have learned a thing or two about making bread with a sourdough starter. This sourdough uses a hard or stiff starter, which is the same thing as a regular starter but a higher ratio of flour to water when feeding. To prepare it the first time around, just plan another couple days ahead from when you want your challah.

            Making your starter into a stiff starter:

First Feeding:

• 1 C (227g/8oz) sourdough starter, unfed/discard
• 1 scant C (113g/4oz) flour

Mix liquid starter and flour together in a bowl until the dough becomes a shaggy mass. Knead until the dough becomes smooth and firm and there are no dry spots. You may need to add an extra Tbsp or two of flour if the dough feels very sticky. Place the starter in an oiled container with the lid on and allow it to ferment at room temperature for about 8 hours.

Second Feeding:

• ¼ C (57g/2oz) room-temperature water
• ¼ C (57g/2oz) lightly packed stiff starter from the first feeding (TIP: ALL discard can be added to any other bread recipe for extra flavor boost)
• 1 scant C (113g/4oz) flour

Tear the stiff starter into pieces and place it in a bowl. Add water and flour. Mix and then knead to make a firm, smooth dough, with no dry pockets of flour. This should only take a few minutes. Place starter into a bowl and cover with plastic. Allow the starter to ferment another 8 hours, or until it’s doubled in sized and domed, with the center just beginning to recede. This mature or “fed” stiff starter is now ready to use in your recipe.

RECIPE

Makes: 3, 1lb (450g) loaves OR 2, 1½lb (680g) loaves/pan-breads, OR 24, 2oz (60g) rolls

For the Starter:

• 2 Tbsp (35g/1.2oz) active, fully fermented stiff starter, refreshed 8-12 hours earlier.
• 1/3 C (80g/2.8oz) warm water
• About 1 C (135g/4.8oz) bread flour (TIP: if you do not have bread flour, Vital Wheat Gluten [typically found in Bob’s Red Mill brand] can be added to all-purpose for the same effect. 1 tsp of VWG to 1 C of all-purpose.)

Knead the starter into the water until it is partially dissolved, then stir in the flour. Knead this firm dough until it is smooth. Remove ¾ c (200g/7oz) starter to use in the final dough and place it in a sealed container at least 4x its volume. (Place remaining starter in a sealed container and refrigerate to use in the next bake.) Let starter ferment until it has tripled in volume and is just starting to deflate, 8 to 12 hours.

For the Final Dough:

• 1 2/3 C (360g/12/7oz) warm water
• 2½ tsp (12g/0.4oz) salt
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp (15g/0.5oz) granulated sugar
• ½ C (110g/3/9oz) vegetable oil
• About 5¼ C (675g/23.8oz) bread flour
• Fully fermented starter (above)
• 1 egg for glazing (To make vegan, JustEgg works well, but if you just want seeds and spices to stick to the dough, try brushing with melted margarin.)

Baking Day

In a large bowl, stir together water, salt, and sugar until the salt and sugar dissolve. With your hands or a wooden spoon, stir in the oil and the bread flour all at once. When the mixture is a shaggy ball. Scrape it pit out onto your work surface, add the starter and knead the dough until it is well mixed and fairly smooth. (Soak your mixing bowl in hot water now to clean it and warm it for fermenting the dough.) If the dough is too firm, ad a Tbsp or two of water. If too wet, add a few Tbsp of flour.

Place the dough in the warm cleaned bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Let dough ferment for about 2 hours. It will probably rise only slightly.

Line one or two large baking sheets, depending on the breads you are baking, with parchment paper or oil them. Divide the dough into desired portions. Braid and shape the rolls/loaves as desired and place onto prepared pan(s). Cover these with plastic wrap and let loaves proof until tripled in size, 3-5 hours.

TIP: For chewier, denser bread, which is more traditional, but you do not have to do this: take the dough portions and break them into the number of strands you’d like to braid together. Take each of those, and with a rolling pin, roll each out flat like a pancake and then gently take one side and start to roll it up like a carpet. Now stretch it out into your strands. If you feel it keeps shrinking back when you roll it out, let it rest for a minute or two and try again. This process really works the glutens in the dough to make it a tighter, denser dough. Now braid as you would, and make sure the braids aren’t too tight so that the dough has some space to rise.

Meanwhile during this rise, 30 min before baking, arrange an oven rack in the lower third position for the pan breads or in the upper third position for the freestanding breads (or upper and lower third positions if using two baking sheets) and remove any racks above it.

Preheat Temps:

• Pan Breads: 350°F
• Freestanding Loaves: 425°F
• Rolls: 450°F

Beat the egg with a pinch of salt for glazing the breads. When the loaves have tripled and/or do not push back when gently pressed with your finger but remain indented, brush them with the glaze. Add any desired toppings like sesame seeds or poppy seeds now.

Bake Times:

• 3, 1lb loaves 35-45min
• 2, 1½lb freestanding or pan loaves for 45-50min
• Rolls: 20-25min

Bake until well browned. After the first 30 min of baking, switch the loaves from the front to back so that they brown evenly; if the large loaves are browning too quickly, tent them with foil. When the loaves are done, remove them from the oven and let cool on a rack.

TIP: Let cool completely or this will ruin the “crumb” and it will not have the texture it could have. While still edible and not ruined, you’ve already spent this much time on the recipe, might as well let it be the best that it can be!