One of the silver linings of being in a pandemic is that I’ve been home often enough to bake challah on Friday nights (granted, I’d prefer it had been for only for 6-8 Friday nights…but it’s 2020). And with endless Friday evenings, I’ve had time to play around with a bunch of different techniques. I’ve had even more time disappointing my husband and son by “forgetting” to put raisins into the challah.

The following recipe is the one I currently love. The technique may seem strange but it is very forgiving which is great for everyone: especially people who aren’t as comfortable baking bread. The process involves two long room temperature rises: the first, 8-10 hours and the second, 4-5 hours. I suggest kneading the dough Thursday evening, letting it rise overnight, then forming the loaves Friday morning. With this timing, you are ready to break the challah around 12/1PM on Friday.

And then comes the hardest part: waiting until the sun sets to eat it.

For step-by-step photos, take a look at my post here: https://www.minneapolisjewishlife.org/blog/2020/9/30/challah-bake-series-2

Overnight Challah
adapted from One Sarcastic Baker

6 ½ cups all purpose flour (795 g)
⅓ cups + 1 tbsp sugar (85 g)
2 ¼ tsp salt (14 g)
2 ½ tsp instant yeast (10 g) or 3 ⅛ tsp active dry yeast (12g)
8 large egg yolks (144 g)
¼ cup vegetable oil (45 g)
1 – 1.5 cups warm (90F) water (start with 1 cup) (340 g)
2 large egg whites

Add the flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a bowl of a stand mixer and use the paddle on the lowest speed to incorporate all the ingredients.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and vegetable oil until blended. Add the warm water while whisking.

Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for about 10 seconds. Let the mixture sit for one minute so that the flour becomes hydrated. After the minute has passed, mix the dough until it is mostly hydrated and looks like a messy dough.

Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough on low speed for 5–7 minutes. The best way to tell if the dough is ready is by pulling off a little piece and stretching it between your fingers. If you pull it gently and it breaks immediately, it isn’t ready.

Remove the dough and gently form it into a ball. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with a thin layer of oil and cover with plastic wrap.

Allow the dough to rest and rise for 8–10 hours—overnight is perfect!

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Divide each half into as many pieces as you would like and roll them into long strands for braiding.

Braid the strands into your desired shape (I prefer a four-strand braid). Place the loaves onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and let rise for 4-5 hours.

Brush the dough with the egg whites, making sure to get into the crevices of the braid. Sprinkle on seeds, if you so desire. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until the center registers at 190°F with an instant read thermometer. Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.

I currently have a lot of flour and yeast and sugar in my home and also time (thank you, quarantine). I’m being bombarded by my kids and husband (what else is new) to bake this and that and, oh, that other thing: the list keeps getting longer.

Currently on the list: poppy seed cake, bumpy cake, challah, cake, and most importantly, cinnamon rolls. I’ve wanted to make cinnamon rolls for the longest time but don’t tend to plan well enough (and these do take some planning). With quarantine-time on my side, I’ve got tons of time to be home to prep the dough.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite bakers, Sarah Kieffer. Her recipes are great and obviously she’s fantastic because she’s a baker from Minneapolis :).

A note about the recipe: I would highly suggest making this recipe over the course of 2-3 days.

Day 1: make dough, rest in fridge over night

Day 2: prep cinnamon rolls, rest in fridge over night

Day 3: bake cinnamon rolls

Cinnamon Rolls
adapted from The Vanilla Bean Blog

Dough
4 large eggs, room temperature
¾ cup whole milk, warm (100-110F)
¼ cup honey
4 cups (568g) all-purpose flour
2 ¼ tsp instant yeast (or 2 ¾ tsp active dry yeast)
2 tsp salt
10 tbsp (1 ¼ sticks | 142g) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces

Filling
¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
4½ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp salt
2 tbsp (29g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Icing
8 tbsp (1 stick | 113g) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces (114g) cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
1 cup (113g) powdered sugar

Make the dough: Grease a large bowl. In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the eggs, milk, and honey.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, mix the flour, yeast, and salt and mix on low to combine. Add the egg mixture and mix on low to combine. With the mixer on low, add the butter, one tbsp at a time. When all the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium and beat until all the butter are incorporated, 1 minute. Transfer the dough to the greased bowl. The dough will be very sticky: use a spatula to scrape the dough into the bowl.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes. After this first rise, remove plastic wrap: place your fingers or a spatula underneath the dough and gently pull the dough up and fold it back over itself (like you’re pulling dough from the bottom, pulling it up, and pushing it back into the center). Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat this folding again. Continue 6 to 8 more times, until all the dough has been folded over on itself. Re-cover the bowl with plastic and let rise for 30 minutes. Repeat this process 3 more times, for a rise time of 2 hours and a total of 4 foldings. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 72 hours.

To Assemble: Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Flour a work surface and knead the dough 10 to 12 times: you can follow the same pull/push knead from earlier or fold the dough on top of itself, flatten, repeat. Shape the dough into a ball, cover the top lightly with flour, cover with a towel and let come to room temperature.

Grease a 9×13-inch pan; if desired, line with parchment paper (this makes cleaning up much easier :)).

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

Roll the dough into a 16” by 12” rectangle. Brush the dough with the melted butter and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over the top, pressing it lightly into the butter so it sticks. Starting at a long side, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Pinch the seam gently to seal it and position the dough seam side down. Use scissor, sharp knife, or bench scraper to cut the dough into 12-equal pieces. Transfer the pieces to the prepared pan and place them cut side up. It is common for some of the filling to come up: feed them to your dog or children :). Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled, 1 to 1 ½ hours or place them directly into the fridge for 12-18 hours (overnight).

If baking immediately, adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the plastic and bake 27 to 32 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the rolls are golden brown.

If baking after they’ve been in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350F and let the cinnamon rolls sit at room temp (still covered) for about 30 minutes. Bake for 27-32 minutes, they may take a bit longer depending on how cold the dough still is.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Using an offset spatula or table knife, apply a thin layer of the cream cheese icing, using about one-third of the mixture. Let the rolls cool for another 15 to 20 minutes. Top with the rest of the icing and serve.

For the icing
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and salt and mix on low to combine. Add the sugar and mix on low until combined. Scrape down the side: mix on medium/high until the icing is light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.