Fluffy Challah Rolls
Sharing a challah recipe with you a few weeks before Pesach (Passover) seems like a tough sell. Many people aren’t baking because they’re focused on preparing for the holiday or trying to make sense of everything Coronavirus. But I’m here to tell you that these rolls are coming to you at a perfect time by virtue of their incredible simplicity. The dough comes together in a bowl, a mixer kneads it for you, and you skip the braiding to plop rounds onto the baking sheet. And they come out incredibly fluffy in a dreamy challah sort of way. Enough said.
If you’re currently home with your kids, I feel you. These make a great afternoon project but don’t feel obligated to set up projects. We’re in a period where going through the day is hard. We need to focus on less, not more. But if, like me, fresh bread from the oven is too satisfying to pass up, then these are here for you.
I adapted the recipe from this lady in Israel who makes them every week and they live up to how amazing they look. I barely tweaked it but made the instructions clearer and simpler.
Fluffy Challah Rolls
ingredients
1kg (2.2lb ) /8 cups all purpose flour, sifted
5 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dry yeast
2 ½ cups warm water
½ cup oil
1 tbsp sea salt
1 egg, beaten
Sesame seeds to garnish
directions
In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, sugar, yeast and mix gently. Stop the mixer, add the water and oil.
On low speed, mix until a raggedy dough forms, about 2 minutes. Add the salt. Increase speed to high and knead for 1 minutes. Reduce to low and knead for 2 minutes. Repeat the alternating speeds one more time. This helps the gluten develop and creates a soft, stretchy, fluffy dough.
Remove the dough from the mixer and transfer to an oiled bowl to rise for 1 hour. Punch the dough down and allow it to rise an additional 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F. Form dough into 20 rolls and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Smear with beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds. Allow to rise an additional 20 minutes. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until deeply golden. Enjoy!