A water roux keeps challah tender and fluffy

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A water roux keeps challah tender and fluffy

2024-10-15 20:22 Last Updated At：20:30

A good loaf of challah is tender, pillowy and slightly sweet, but homemade loaves tend to dry and stale quickly. To keep our challah tender and extend its shelf-life, we borrow the water roux technique known as tangzhong that’s used to make fluffy Japanese milk bread.

In this recipe from our cookbook “ Milk Street Bakes,” the tangzhong increases the hydration level in the dough while keeping the mixture workable. Tangzhong is a mixture of flour and liquid cooked to a gel; it’s often referred to as a roux, though it does not contain any butter or oil and serves a different purpose than a classic roux. The gelatinized starch in tangzhong can hold on to more water than uncooked flour, so the dough is easy to handle despite the high hydration level. The loaf attains a high rise and a light, airy crumb and the baked bread keeps well.

Oil is the fat of choice in traditional challah. For more complex, nuanced flavor, extra-virgin olive oil is used instead of a flavorless neutral oil. To complement the fruity, peppery notes of the olive oil, golden raisins plumped in orange juice are mixed into the dough at the end of kneading.

Though we love the look of challah formed into an intricate six-strand braid or an impressively mounded crown, for ease, we make two simple braids and bake them in loaf pans. Well wrapped, the loaves will keep at room temperature for two or three days.

Don’t forget to drain the raisins before adding them to the dough. Also, don’t cut into the challah while it’s still warm. With such a light, tender crumb, the bread slices more easily and has a better texture after cooling to room temperature.

Olive Oil Challah with Golden Raisins Start to finish: 3½ hours (1¼ hours active), plus cooling

Servings: Makes two 1¼-pound loaves

43 grams (⅓ cup), plus 607 grams (4⅔ cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

155 grams (1 cup) golden raisins

¼ cup orange juice

3 large eggs, room temperature, plus 1 large egg, for brushing

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pans

63 grams (3 tablespoons) honey

2 teaspoons table salt

2¼ teaspoons instant yeast

In a small saucepan, whisk together 1 cup water and the 43 grams (⅓ cup) flour until smooth. Over medium, cook, whisking constantly, until it thickens (a silicone spatula drawn through the mixture leaves a trail) and bubbles slowly, 2 to 4 minutes; this is a “water roux.” Scrape the mixture into a stand mixer bowl, press a sheet of plastic wrap directly against the surface and cool until barely warm, at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the raisins and orange juice; bring to a simmer over medium, stirring, then remove from the heat. (Alternatively, in a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the raisins and juice; microwave on high until simmering, about 1 minute.) Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. To the cooled water roux, whisk in the 3 eggs. Whisk in the oil and honey. Add the remaining 607 grams (4⅔ cups) flour, the salt and yeast, then attach the bowl and dough hook to the mixer. Mix on low until a sticky, slightly elastic dough forms, about 5 minutes. Scrape the bowl and push the dough off the hook. Drain the raisins in a fine-mesh strainer, pressing on them with a spoon to remove excess liquid. Add the raisins to the dough and mix on medium-low, scraping the bowl as needed, until the raisins are evenly distributed and the dough is tacky but not wet, about another 5 minutes. Detach the bowl from the mixer and use the spatula to scrape the bowl and gather the dough at the center. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1½ hours. Meanwhile, brush two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with oil, then line each with an 8-by-14-inch piece of kitchen parchment, allowing the excess to overhang the long sides of the pan. Lightly flour the counter and turn the dough out onto it. Using a bench scraper or chef’s knife, divide the dough in half; each piece should weigh about 650 grams (23 ounces). Now divide each half into 3 equal pieces, for a total of 6 pieces; cover with a kitchen towel. Roll each portion back and forth against the counter to form a 12-inch rope; as you work, keep the previously formed ropes covered. Position 3 ropes perpendicular to the counter’s edge but parallel to each other. Firmly pinch together the far ends of the ropes. Flour your fingers, then lift the right rope, cross it over the middle rope and lay it between the other 2; adjust the spacing of the ropes as you go. Now cross the left rope over the new middle rope and lay it between the 2. Repeat the braiding until you reach the ends of the ropes. Firmly pinch together the ends. Tuck the ends under the loaf and transfer the braid to a prepared loaf pan, compacting it as needed to fit. Cover with a kitchen towel. Shape the second loaf in the same way and cover. Let rise at room temperature until the loaves have increased by half and the dough feels puffy but slowly springs back when gently poked with a finger, 1¼ to 1½ hours. About 45 minutes into rising, heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining egg. When the loaves have risen by 50 percent, brush the tops with beaten egg. Place the pans in the oven, spaced several inches apart, and immediately reduce the temperature to 325°F. Bake until the loaves are golden brown and the centers reach about 185°F to 190°F, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and cool for 30 minutes. Using the parchment slings, lift the loaves from their pans, peel off the parchment and set them directly on the rack. Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing. EDITOR’S NOTE: For more recipes, go to Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street at 177milkstreet.com/ap

Falcons turn to rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. for key game vs Giants

2024-12-21 22:47 Last Updated At：23:00

New York Giants (2-12) at Atlanta (7-7)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox

BetMGM NFL Odds: Falcons by 8 1/2.

Against the spread: Giants 4-10; Falcons 6-8.

Series record: Falcons lead 14-12.

Last meeting: Falcons beat the Giants 17-14 on Sept. 26, 2021, in East Rutherford, N.J.

Last week: Giants lost to the Ravens 35-14; Falcons beat the Raiders 15-9.

Giants offense: overall (29), rush (18), pass (30), scoring (32)

Giants defense: overall (T21), rush (31), pass (7), scoring (20)

Falcons: overall (9), rush (12), pass (6), scoring (20)

Falcons defense: overall (20), rush (13), pass (24), scoring (20)

Turnover differential: Giants minus-8; Falcons minus-7.

WR Malik Nabers had his third double-digit catch game of the season against the Ravens and joined Odell Beckham Jr., Jaylen Waddle and Brock Bowers as the only rookies in NFL history with three games of 10-or-more receptions. The No. 6 overall pick in the draft, Nabers has 90 catches for 901 yards and is two shy of breaking the Giants rookie record of 91 held by Beckham (2014) and Saquon Barkley (2018).

QB Michael Penix Jr. will make his first career start after the Falcons benched 13-year veteran Kirk Cousins. Penix, the Heisman Trophy runner-up at Washington in 2023, was the No. 8 pick in this year's draft but wasn't expected to land the starting job so soon. The timetable ramped up dramatically when Cousins threw nine interceptions and just one touchdown over the past five games. After pulling out an ugly 15-9 win at Las Vegas, where it became clear that the Falcons had lost confidence in their passing game, the decision was made to switch to Penix.

Atlanta's defensive front vs. Giants offensive line. After managing a league-low 10 sacks through their first 11 games, the Falcons have turned up the pressure with 13 sacks in three games since their bye week. Eight players have notched sacks during that span, led by OLB Kaden Elliss and DE Arnold Ebiketie with three apiece. With Drew Lock set to return as New York's quarterback after missing last week with a heel injury, the Falcons will be looking to bring the heat against a team that has allowed 45 sacks, tied for seventh most in the NFL.

Giants: QB Tommy DeVito, who started last week in place of Lock, is out of concussion protocol and should be the backup. … G Aaron Stinnie (concussion), LB Patrick Johnson (knee) and LB Bobby Okereke (back) are out. ... CB Greg Stroman (shoulder/shin) is doubtful. .. New York is hopeful CB Deonte Banks (ribs) can return after sitting out the last three games.

Falcons: K Younghoe Koo was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue, knocking him out for the rest of the regular season and putting his future with the team in doubt. Koo had been one of the league's most reliable kickers, but he has missed a career-high nine field-goal attempts this season. ... The Falcons brought in Riley Patterson to take Koo's spot. WR Casey Washington (concussion) is out.

The Falcons have won three straight in the series. ... New York's most recent win over the Falcons was a 30-20 triumph in 2014. ... The Giants' most recent win in Atlanta was a 31-10 blowout in 2007. ... The teams have met once in the playoffs, with New York rolling to a 24-2 wild-card win during the 2008 season. ... The first win in Falcons' history was a 27-16 victory over the Giants at Yankee Stadium during Atlanta's inaugural season in 1966.

The Giants tied their franchise record for consecutive losses at nine last weekend. They have done it three times in their 100-year history, the most recent time in 2019. … Lock passed for 313 yards, threw two TDs and ran for one for Denver in 2020 in his only career start against the Falcons. … RB Tyrone Tracy ranks second among rookies with 695 yards rushing. He has scored a TD in his past three road games. … WR Wan’Dale Robinson has a career-high 71 receptions. .. Burns has his eighth sack of the season last week and became the sixth player since 2000 with at least 7 1/2 sacks in each of his first six seasons. He had two sacks in his most recent game against the Falcons, playing for the Panthers in 2023. … ILB Micah McFadden has a career-high 102 tackles. … Penix was among a record-tying six QBs taken in the first round of the 2024 draft. He is the fifth member of that group to earn a start, ahead of only Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy, who won't play until 2025 because of a knee injury. ... Falcons RB Bijan Robinson rushed for a career-high 125 yards on 22 carries against Las Vegas. That gave the second-year back the first 1,000-yard season of his young career, pushing him to 1,102 yards. ... Robinson has topped 100 yards in three of the past five games, and he has at least 20 carries in four of the past five games as the Falcons turned away from their passing game amid Cousins' struggles. ... Elliss has a career-high 124 tackles after making 11 stops at Las Vegas. ... OLB DeAngelo Malone has his first two sacks of the season against the Raiders. ... P Bradley Pinion had four punts downed inside the 10, including two inside the 5, in the Monday night win.

Robinson is a good bet to keep getting plenty of carries and rushing yards, especially with the Falcons breaking in a new quarterback. He's also an option in the passing game, providing a safe outlet for short-to-medium passes that would further lessen the burden on Penix.

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