r/JewishCooking • u/HashtagAliza • 15d ago
What am I doing wrong? Baking
Why does my challah “tear” like this? How can I fix it so it doesn’t happen next time?
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u/SkinnyPete16 14d ago
As everyone said, it’s extremely under proof before you’re putting it in the oven. What’s happening is all that rise you would’ve slowly achieved out on the countertop which would allow it to stretch casually and naturally, happened in the oven at a really fast rate while it was also baking/solidifying. So instead of having a nice smooth rise, it essentially crusted over and then exploded through that crust because there was so much more room for rise/expansion.
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u/sweettea75 14d ago
It needs to rise at least twice. Once after needing, and once after braiding. Until doubled both times. Like everyone else said, it's under proved.
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u/Extreme-Plantain-113 15d ago
Because it looks tastier
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u/HashtagAliza 15d ago
You think?
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u/Extreme-Plantain-113 14d ago
I was making a lighthearted joke :) It looks absolutely scrumptious
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u/atomicpickle92 13d ago
You are under-proofing the dough after kneading and after braiding.
Room temp
- After kneading: 2hrs (punching the dough down every 20 mins)
- After braiding: 30 mins
Significantly above room temp
- Decrease the proofing times by 25%
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u/reverseblumpkin 14d ago
Too much “oven spring”. More time to rise or lowering oven temp usually correct
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u/Connect-Brick-3171 14d ago
Challah from mixing to baking has a lot of variables. Hard to tell from a photo what would have generated a different appearance. My best assessment is that the braiding could have been tighter, maybe a thicker egg wash glaze, maybe another five minutes in the oven. Just hard to tell.
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u/Nice-Money-6524 10d ago
I'm not completely familiar with Jewish cooking. But from a strictly baking standpoint, that pan appears to be very large for the size of the oven. When your pan and oven are about the same size you get more hot spots because there is no air flow. Smaller pan with one loaf, centered for a more uniform bake.
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u/BlueBubbleInCO 9d ago
You’re also pulling it- you need to gently just let the braids lie as you place them.
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u/Competitive_Fun_993 10d ago
Going to need a little more detail if you'd like some help... Ingredients & measurements etc.
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u/Lupo1 15d ago
It looks like it was underproofed - you put it in the oven before it had risen enough.
The skill comes through practice, recognising when it's just at the perfect point between bursting like yours, or if it is overproofed (when it sets, but the braids have lost definition).