Seven Egg Yolks Challah

Seven Egg Yolks Challah was a gift from Michael Solomonov's book, Zahav, a World of Israeli Cooking. I'm calling it a gift because I just happened to have seven egg yolks in the refrigerator and was dreading having to throw them out. So thanks to Mr. Solomonov for the recipe. This is a great tasting egg bread, plus it solves the problem of what to do with yolks leftover from Angel Food Cake or other dishes that involve a lot of egg whites.

Seven Egg Yolks Challah Flavor and Texture

Seven Egg Yolks Challah is a somewhat puffier than usual Challah. The crust is golden brown and tastes so good you'll want to pull it off and eat it first. You can taste the yolks, but in a good way that's similar to the flavor of choux pastry (the kind used for eclairs and cream puffs). Just make sure the egg yolks are really fresh. As for the texture, it's lighter than my other Challah recipes -- almost feathery. And I'm not sure if it's all the yolks that make it so fragrant, but this bread smells fantastic while baking. I really love this recipe even though I'm sensitive to things with a lot of yolks.

Notes on the Challah Recipe

• Flour -- A few things you should know. The recipe calls for 4 cups of bread flour. My 4 cups weighed about 500 grams total, and I ended up needing to use almost a full cup more. So I recommend starting with the 500 grams and adding more until the dough doesn't stick to the side of the bowl.
• The dough is pretty sticky and not the easiest to handle even with all the flour. It would be impossible to knead by hand, so you really do have to use the stand mixer and dough hook. It will get a little easier to deal with after it is kneaded, and you shouldn't have any problems doing a simple braid so long as you use some extra flour on the mat.
• The dough puffs up quite a bit in the oven.

Other Challah Recipes

This is actually one of three Challah recipes on Cookie Madness. The other two are Easy Challah (which my daughter makes all the time) and Rich Challah, which has a bit more eggs and oil. So if you don't have seven egg yolks to use and just want a good Challah recipe, those are options. But overall I'd say I really like this one and am happy to be able to make Angel Food Cake without worrying about what I'll do with all the yolks.

• An Easy Challah Recipe for Bread Pudding
• Rich Challah
• Small Batch Pecan Pie Bread Pudding
• White Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding
• Ham and Cheese Breakfast Bake

Recipe

Seven Egg Yolks Challah

Anna

Great way to get rid of seven egg yolks! But also a very delicious Challah recipe that smells so good as it bakes. Oh, and it tastes good too.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Rising, Cooling, Etc. 2 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Bread

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 18

Ingredients

 

• 4-5 cups bread flour (see notes) (500 grams)
• ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large egg
• 7 large egg yolks (130 grams)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 packet
• 1 cup very warm water
• 1 large lightly beaten egg for brushing (you won't use all of it).

Instructions

 

• Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of warm water.
• Combine the flour (I started with 500 grams), sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir well. Add the oil, eggs, yolks and water/yeast mixture. Stir until blended.
• Attach dough hook and begin kneading. At this point the dough will most likely be very sticky and still clinging to the side of the bowl. If this is not the case, just keep kneading and don't add any more flour, otherwise, continue sprinkling flour down the side of the bowl, letting the dough take it in, until it no longer clings to the sides of the bowl. I had to use a full cup more of flour.
• Knead for about 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. You may need to stop occasionally and scrape dough off the side of the bowl.
• Cover the mixing bowl and let the dough rise right in the bowl until doubled. An hour and a half should do it.
• Scrape the dough onto a large pastry mat dusted with flour. Turn it once so both sides are coated in flour, then cut into three parts. Shape into three long pieces and braid as per your skill level. Carefully transfer to a large baking sheet which you've greased or lined with parchment.
• Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap and Allow the braided loaf to rise for about 35 to 40 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Brush with lightly beaten egg mixed with a little water.
• Bake for about 35 minutes or until top is brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Notes

Have another cup of flour on hand because you may need 5 cups rather than 4.

Keyword Challah, Egg Yolks

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