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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Weigh challah dough before shaping it into balls for the third proof, using a 7 oz (about 200 g) target per ball for a medium-sized challah, so that each piece is consistent and the number of balls can be predicted from the total dough weight. The video demonstrates how to round the dough into smooth balls and let them rest before rolling them into ropes.
Key Points
- Weighing the dough makes results consistent and lets you calculate in advance how many balls you will get from the total amount.
- The dough is cut and weighed after its two-hour, two-stage first proof, which the speaker counts as the "third proof" stage in the workflow.
- Smooth, tight balls are formed by folding the dough in on itself, sealing the smooth side underneath, and pressing to tighten the surface.
- Balls are rested briefly so they loosen enough to roll into smooth ropes without tearing or shrinking back.
- Resting covering needs only to prevent a crust, so a kitchen towel is fine at this stage, unlike the airtight covering needed for the first proof.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Weigh the risen dough and cut it into pieces by weight, targeting about 7 oz (roughly 200 g) per ball for a medium challah.
- For a medium challah use 7 oz balls, for a small challah 6 oz balls, and for individual challahs 4 oz balls.
- Use a dough scraper: plastic is flexible and good for cleaning the bowl, while stainless steel cuts dough more cleanly but can cut fingers.
- To round each ball, find a smooth side of the dough, fold the rest in on itself, seal the seam, and press lightly to tighten the surface.
- Handle the dough as little as possible and be gentle, using only fingertips and the sides of the hands.
- Dust only your fingers lightly with flour, not the dough or surface; the speaker notes oil can sometimes be used instead but found it can prevent the seam from sealing well, so flour is preferred.
- Lightly flour or oil the tops of the balls, then cover loosely with cling film or a kitchen towel so no crust forms.
- Rest the balls for about 20 to 30 minutes until they loosen; they are ready to roll into ropes when they are looser and easy to press.
- The speaker notes that the dough had risen to about two-thirds of the bowl, roughly one and a half times its original size, before cutting.
- The video says this is part one of a challah workshop, and the rope rolling, braiding, and shaping are covered in the next steps.
Bottom Line
Weighing dough into consistent balls and resting them briefly is the key to uniform, smooth challah ropes ready for shaping.