Sourdough Challah Knots

By gnikylime

Modified from the challah recipe in Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods, 2nd Edition

Ingredients

• Starter:
• 2 T. unfed sourdough starter
• 0.5 c. 97F [36C] filtered water
• 90 g. all-purpose flour [Weizenmehl 550]
• Phase II:
• 30 g. all-purpose flour [Weizenmehl 550]
• Egg Custard:
• 1 T. sugar
• 2 t. sea salt
• 3 T. vegetable oil
• 3 eggs - 1 T., beaten
• 0.75 c. filtered water
• Remaining Dough Ingredients:
• 630 g. all-purpose flour, sifted
• Egg Wash:
• 1 T. egg, beaten
• 1/2 t. water
• To Finish:
• Coarse salt

Preparation

Step 1

1. Two nights before, mix the 2 T. sourdough starter, warm 0.5 c. water, and 90 g. flour in a large (>= 500 mL) jar. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
2. The next morning, add 30 g. flour to the mixture and vigorously stir. Cover loosely with plastic wrap.
3. About 4 hours before going to bed, start preparing the egg custard. Mix together 1 T. sugar, 2 t. sea salt. 3 T. oil, 3 beaten eggs with 1 T. removed and saved in the fridge, and 0.75 water in the top pot of a double boiler on medium heat. Whisk together well at the beginning and then regularly afterwards. Put a thermometer in the pot and don't let the custard go above 115 F [46 C].
4. Sift the 630 g. flour into a large bowl and for a well in the center. Put the fed sourdough mixture in the well. Dust the sourdough with flour.
5. Once the egg custard is done, let it cool to 97F [36C]. Add it to the bowl and mix well. After things are reasonable well mixed, start kneading. Knead vigorously for 10 minutes. Add more flour if needed.
6. Oil the dough ball and place back into the bowl. Place the bowl in a large plastic bag and tie shut. Place somewhere warm and let rise until double (3-4 hours).
7. Once the dough has risen, start to form the knots. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Take 1/12 of the dough (This is best accomplished by weighing all of the dough and determining what 1/12 is; it will be approx. 3.5-4 oz [100 - 115 g.] per knot.), slightly knead it, and then roll it between your hands until it is long enough to knot. Knot it by crossing the two ends and tucking the end on top under and through the center. Place on Silpat.
8. Once the knots have been formed, loosely cover with plastic wrap and place somewhere warm. Let rise overnight.
9. Once the knots have risen, preheat the oven to 400 F [205 C] (Next time try 225C for 10 min). Brush with the 1 T. egg and 1/2 t. water. Top with coarsely ground salt.
9. Bake 12 minutes.