Flamingo Musings

Cooking, Canning, Baking - It's All Kosher

Recipe Monday: HBin5 Holiday Challah

Here it is, Recipe Monday, and timing being what it is, it’s also reveal day for the December HBin5 recipe.

To review, Michelle over at Big Black Dog, organized a new bread baking group, baking from the new book by Dr. Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe François, Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. We’ll be starting to bake from the book officially next month, but till then, Dr. Jeff provided us with a special recipe to play with in December.


This month’s recipe is Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries and Orange Zest, and it ain’t your mama’s challah. Or mine, for that matter. For starters, the flour used is primarily whole wheat, and there’s much less egg. Honey is used as the sweetener and there’s dried fruit and orange zest. Very festive!

Being out of regular whole wheat flour, I used white whole wheat, and my fat of choice was canola oil (which is what I use in my regular challahs). Instead of Craisins, I used a mixture of dried fruit packaged as “Antioxidant Fruit Blend”, containing dried cherries, cranberries, plums, and raisins. I also used flax seed meal instead of the wheat germ, and used demerara sugar as my topping. Otherwise, I made the dough exactly as in the recipe.

Conclusion? Well, frankly, I think I need to make this again to be sure.

In all honesty, I think my dough “aged-out.” That is, the recipe says that it should be baked within 5 days, or you should freeze it. I had good intentions, really I did. It was the cookies! I blame the cookies!

I didn’t freeze the dough, and I didn’t bake it until 8 days later. I didn’t get the rise I was looking for, except in those little ones I made in my mini-bundt pan, just for fun. And the flavor is pretty strong. MJ said it tastes almost rye-like, and I agree.

On the other hand, this dough was a pleasure to work with, and although a bit softer and stickier than “normal” bread dough, it was much easier to shape than last month’s Pumpkin Brioche. As I said, I will make this again and bake it within the proper amount of time, to see if I get a better rise and milder flavor. I want it at its best.

Want the recipe? Click here to get all the instructions and try it yourself!

If you’d like to join in and try baking healthy breads in a whole new way, click here to visit Big Black Dog and learn about our monthly “Bread Braid”.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. "those little ones I made in my mini-bundt pan" – wow, do those look good.I have a hard time getting the right amount of rise from these fancier breads. But my family eats them anyway, at least on day one after coming out of the oven. The leftovers make good stuffing for chicken, I have learned.

  3. When I've baked AB5 bread even close to the expiration date, I never got a good oven rise. I think the yeast just poops out or something.Love the round braid though. Are there directions for it on the internet somewhere? But your mini bundts look fabulous again. Love 'em!

  5. I love the little ones! Great job on your bread this month. They look tasty. I hope it turns out how you want next time you bake the challah.

  6. Love your braiding in this. Please tell me where to get the instructions! Did it take alot of practice. I made my bread the day after I mixed it and the flavor and texture were great…so definitely give it another try!

  12. Your braiding is lovely! I love the round one and the mini ones. I had a hard time baking it within the 5 days myself. I baked the second batch about 7 days later. It was a little bit fermented but still tasted ok.

  15. Those mini bundts are just so cute! I baked a loaf of this bread before it went in the fridge and found the rise better on it than on doughs I've refrigerated.~Jenny~

  17. I did my second loaf after the 5 days also, but not as long as you did. I had to let it rise longer. Your round braid is so pretty! and the mini bundts are adorable!!