Challah Meets Croissants in This Rich, Flaky Twist on Tradition

Summary by Krater

Martin demonstrates how to make laminated challah bread in his kitchen, interviewing Zoë Kanan from Elbow Bread in New York City about her development process and insights into lamination.

From the video

Answers: How do you make laminated challah bread?

• laminated challah bread recipe
• bread lamination techniques
• dough hydration
• butter block preparation
• braiding laminated bread

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons (85g) water, lukewarm
• 2 teaspoons (6g) instant yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (32g) honey
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3 tablespoons (37g) vegetable oil
• salt
• 2 1/2 cups (300g) King Arthur unbleached all-purpose flour
• 12 tablespoons (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (21g) honey
• flaky sea salt

What it concludes

• Under-developing the dough initially makes it extend more easily during the lamination process.
• Warming eggs before adding them to the dough supports fermentation.
• Using a very thin butter sheet prevents butter breakage and improves lamination quality.
• Chilling the butter block and dough helps them match in consistency for easier rolling.
• Trimming the edges of the laminated dough exposes the layers for better visual and textural results.