The problem with comfort baking/eating is that it's often in the form of a pint of ice cream or a really fudgy brownie, or both. And once you've done that, well honestly, that's one more thing you need comforting for. If you have the time for it, like a Saturday or Sunday afternoon or night, making homemade bread not only takes your mind off your problems, but also gives you a warm and fresh product as reward for your time and efforts. And you'll have the benefit of knowing that you didn't just put a cup of cream or butter into your body...
Today I'm making an almond raisin challah bread. I made some plain challah for the first time a few days ago, and I think the addition of almond extract and raisins will add an extra depth and texture to an already yummy bread. Kinda reminds me of the raisin bread pastries that they have in Chinese bakeries. So delicious.
Basing off a challah recipe from allrecipes.com as well as one found on google, and reading up on bread making tips, I took some liberties in crafting my own recipe:
Active prep time: 1 hr
Inactive prep time: 2 1/2 hrs
Cook time: 30-40 min
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
Pinch sugar
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 tsp salt
3 1/2 cup bread flour, plus extra for dusting
2/3 cup plumped raisins
Egg wash:
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tbsp honey
Equipment:
1 small saucepan
2 large mixing bowls
Slotted spoon
Thermometer
Whisk/fork
Measuring cups
Loaf pan
Aluminum foil
Place raisins in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the raisins stand for 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to drain and remove the raisins, and set aside.
Pour 1 cup of the raisin water into a mixing bowl. If you do not have enough raisin water, just add plain water until the total volume reaches 1 cup. Use a thermometer to check that the temperature is between 100-110 degrees F. If you do not have a thermometer, the water should be warm/slightly hot but not scalding. Add a pinch of sugar and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir to dissolve, and let rest for ~10 minutes, until the mixture is foamy. The sugar is used to "proof" the yeast, which basically serves as a way to check that the yeast is active: sugar provides a source of food for the yeast, which will foam as they consume the sugar. If your mixture does not foam, either the yeast is dead/expired, or your liquid was not at the correct temperature range.
Mix in egg, yolk, butter, honey, and almond extract. Stir in flour, one cup at a time. After the 2nd cup, add the salt and continue to mix. Once all the flour has been incorporated, turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. The dough should be tacky to the touch (like the back of a post-it) but not sticky. Place dough in a greased glass or ceramic bowl, turning to grease dough all over. Cover bowl with greased plastic wrap or a warm damp kitchen towel; place a bowl with boiling water onto the lower rack of your oven. Place the bowl with the dough on the rack above, and close the oven door, letting the dough rise until doubled in size, ~1 1/2 hours.
Punch down dough, transfer dough to work surface, let rest for 10 minutes, then knead in raisins. Divide dough into quarters; roll each quarter into 18-inch long ropes. Make a four-strand braid, pinching the ends together and tucking underneath. Place braid in greased loaf pan, cover with greased plastic wrap, and place back in oven to let rise another hour.
feel like some kind of girl scout
Remove dough from the oven and preheat to 375 degrees (350 if using a metal pan). Whisk egg and honey together to make the egg wash, and brush this over the loaf. Bake for 30-40 minutes; about halfway through, cover challah with foil to prevent over-browning. Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
Remy no!
Whew, finally done! Mmm I love challah. Quick note though, if you can't finish off the bread within 2-3 days, I would suggest slicing the bread (wait until it's fully cooled), placing in an airtight bag, and placing in the freezer for future use. Unfortunately for non-preservative filled foods, they go moldy/stale pretty fast. I like to use a little ghetto trick to make my 'airtight' bag: place contents in the bag, and ziplock almost all the way. Suck out all the excess air from the opening, and then seal shut. I know, real sanitary right? Probably shouldn't use that technique of raw meats with their blood juices and all...
Not sure what happened to the raisins in that cut. Still delish.
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