Ingredients
- FOR ONE LARGE LOAF:
- 1 Cup Sourdough Starter
- 1 1/4 Cup Water, divided
- 7 cups White Flour
- 1 TBSP Sugar
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- 3 TBSP Vegetable Oil
- 3 Eggs, Beaten
Preparation
Step 1
1. Make a sponge by mixing active, bubbly sourdough starter with 1 Cup of lukewarm water and 2 cups of sifted white flour. (DON'T FORGET TO REPLENISH YOUR STARTER). Stir the sponge well, cover it and leave it in a warm spot for a few hours, until the whole thing is good and bubbly. You can leave the sponge for as long as about 24 hours. It can be flexible to your schedule.
2. Combine the sugar, salt, oil, and 1/4 CUP OF WATER in a heat resistant measuring cup or small bowl. Heat it by setting the cup or bowl in a saucepan of warm water over a low flame. When the mixture is lukewarm, add the beaten eggs, reserving about 1 TBSP of the eggs for brushing on the finished loaf. Continue to gently heat the pan of water while whisking or stirring the mixture, until it is smooth and custard like. Do not allow this mixture to heat to the point where it stings your finger; keep it under 115 degrees.
3. Blend the warm egg mixture into the bubbly sponge.
4. Sift the remaining 5 cups of flour into a large bowl, and form a well in the center. Pour the sponge-egg mixture into the well and mix into a dough. The dough may not absorb all the flour, or it may require a little more; let texture guide you.
5. Tobye recommends kneading directly in the bowl which is much easier to clean up than using a countertop. Knead for at least 10 minutes.
6. Lightly oil the surface of the ball of kneaded dough and place it in the bowl. Wet a towel with warm water, wring excess out, and cover the bowl with the damp towel. Set the bowl in a warm place and leave it to rise for about 3 hours, until the dough has doubled in bulk.
7. Punch down the risen dough, knead for a few moments, and then divide it into three equal parts. Shape the braided loaf by rolling and squeezing each ball into a rope about 18 inches long. Line the three ropes up side by side, join them together at one end, and braid them, lifting a rope from one side into the middle, then from the other, and so on. When you reach the end of your ropes, join them together and tuck them under the end of the braid.
8. Lightly oil a cookie sheet and gently lift the braided loaf onto it. Leave the loaf in a warm spot to rise for 1 or 2 hours, until it has roughly doubled.
9. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
10. Brush the top of the loaf gently with the reserved egg.
11. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool on a rack near an open window to increase crustiness.
12. Enjoy challah fresh. If it dries out, it makes outstanding French toast.