::challah at ya boy::

I know it has been a while since my last post. Life has kept me away from the computer, but thankfully, not the kitchen! My newest obsession is baking bread. I try to do it every weekend now. There is just something about the smell of yeast that takes me back to my childhood. Today I baked a huge loaf of challah (HAH-lah, חלה)to take over to my in-laws. It is a Jewish bread made with eggs, similar to a brioche. This lovely six braided loaf rose so much it barely fit on my baking stone! I don't have a stand mixer so I did all of the mixing and kneading by hand this time - slightly labor intensive... but worth it! There is another method, though, that
I often use when making bread that works out really well. I turn to my food processor. Yes, you can use the food processor to bring bread dough together! Sounds crazy, but works like a charm and is extremely easy to do. Making homemade bread is such a comforting thing to do on a cold fall weekend. Try this easy recipe and let me know what you think! Happy baking!


Basic White Bread

-½ cup warm water (not too hot!)
-¾ cup cool water
-4½ tsp yeast
-2 tbsp sugar
-2 tsp salt
-¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
-4 cups flour (plus a little extra for a quick kneading)

Stir together sugar, yeast and warm water, set aside to bloom (about 5 min or so). In food processor add flour, salt and melted butter. Pulse a few times. On a low speed, pour in a steady stream of the yeast mixture. Next pour in a steady stream of the cool water. After the dough forms a ball, let processor run for about 30-45 more seconds. Turn out onto floured surface. Knead just a few times, adding a little four if it's too sticky. Heavy kneading is not necessary; just a few turns to make sure the dough is the right consistency. Let rise in a large greased bowl that is covered in plastic until doubled in size (about 1 hour). Punch down, and reshape into a greased and floured loaf pan. Loosely cover with plastic. Let rise again until doubled in size. (about 1 hour) Bake at 350° for about 30-40 min. (should be light golden brown and sound somewhat hollow when tapped)


*Rising times can vary. On the counter top, it should take about an hour to double. Sometimes, though, I am in a bit of a hurry. You can speed up the process by using warmth from your oven. Set your oven to the lowest setting for a few minutes to warm it up a little then turn it off. (it shouldn't be so hot that you can't touch the rack inside) Place the bowl of dough or loaf pan in the oven. The warmth will help the yeast get excited and you can cut your rising time in half!