Autolyse
Pronounced “auto-lease”, this technique of mixing water with a portion of the flour at the start of a recipe, and then allows it to ferment for about 20 minutes, can improve dough hydration, shorten kneading time, make the dough easier and more extensible to work with, and give the gluten a head start to develop before adding yeast- and gluten-inhibiting ingredients, such as salt, eggs and oil.
Desired Dough Temperature
The optimum dough temperature for an enriched dough made with eggs, oil and sugar is 75 degrees F at the end of mixing. Water is the one dough ingredient we can easily manipulate to achieve the DDT. To determine the best water temperature, mark down the temperatures of the room, flour, and eggs/oil mixture. Then, add them together plus an estimate of the friction factor caused by the stand mixer. This can be estimated at 2 degrees F per minute. If you will be mixing your dough for 10 minutes, mark the friction factor as 20 degrees. Now, multiply the DDT of 75 by 4 (room, flour, eggs/oil, friction factor) and then subtract the total temperatures of the room, flour, eggs/oil and friction factor to get the optimal water temperature. For example, 75 x 4 = 300. Now, subtract 70 degrees (room temperature, 69 degrees (flour), 60 degrees (eggs/oil) and 20 degrees (friction factor) for a water temperature of 81 degrees F. By warming your water to 81 degrees F, you should have a dough that reaches 75 degrees F at the end of mixing, and just before the first proof.
Enriched Dough
Challah is an enriched dough. That means in addition to the basic four bread ingredients of flour, water, yeast and salt, it has a significant amount of oil, sugar and, often, eggs. These “rich” ingredients add tremendous flavour, elasticity, and staying power to challah, but also make the dough harder to mix and, most importantly, they inhibit gluten development. It’s the gluten that’s needed to trap the gases building in the dough as a result of yeast activity, so the bread can rise and expand properly.
Fermentation
When activated, yeast feeds on the sugars and starches in the dough to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol, which cause the dough to rise and expand provided they can be trapped by a strong gluten network. The first rise of the dough is called the bulk fermentation, followed by a secondary or third fermentation, which is also known as proofing the dough.
Gluten
When flour is hydrated, there is a chemical reaction that builds complex protein networks we call gluten. Its the gluten that traps the gases produced by yeast that causes the dough to expand and rise.
Intensive vs Improved Mix Method
The most common technique for mixing challah and other enriched breads is to use the intensive mix method technique, with or without a preferment. Eggs, oil, sugar and honey can weight down dough, making it harder to mix properly. Mixing at a faster speed, for a longer amount of time can alleviate this issue; however, there is major cost; this intensive mix method can oxidize the flour in the dough, robbing it of flavour and aroma. One way around this is to add a preferment to the dough.
Another way to add more flavour to dough, is to mix it at a slower speed for a shorter amount of time. This improved mix method, first coined by master baker Raymond Calvel, may produce a weaker gluten structure but it helps to retain a stronger flavour profile. Recipes calling for the improved mix method often include a series of stretch and folds, or extended proofing times after the initial mix to strengthen the gluten structure.
Maillard Effect
There is a chemical reaction that occurs when sugars (white, brown, honey etc.) and proteins (amino acids in the wheat flour and eggs) are heated, causing the bread to brown, also known as caramelize.
Preferment
To make a preferment, you mix together a portion of the water, flour and yeast in a bread recipe, and allow it to rest, or ferment for a period of time, before adding the balance of ingredients. This technique helps to develop a stronger, more consistent gluten structure, while enhancing the flavour and aroma of the finished bread.
Poke Test
There’s an easy test you can do to determine when your dough is proofed. With your index finger on a 45 degree angle, press down on the dough and watch what happens next. If it bounces back fully and quickly, the dough is not fully proofed. If it bounces back enough that the indent fills halfway through within the first several seconds, it’s sufficiently proofed. If it remains fully indented, you may have over proofed the dough. Practice the poke test as soon as you’ve finished kneading your dough, and then every 10 minutes until it performs as required for the recipe.
Windowpane Test
This test tells you when you’ve mixed the dough sufficiently to build a strong protein network of gluten. To test your dough, grab a handful of it and pull it out straight from the mixer. Then stretch it as much as you can until you can see through a thin membrane. If it breaks before you get to that point, knead the dough longer and check back every few minutes.