I love when someone I know inspires a new challah creation in my kitchen, and that’s exactly how this marbled rye challah came to be: inspired by a friend and colleague.
This past autumn, Liz Alpern of The Gefilteria said she would like to come over and bake challah with me. Oh, twist my arm. I was very excited and told her we could create a new flavor, anything she wanted. She said she would love to do something “super Ashkenazy,” and so I mentioned I had always wanted to try a marbled rye challah. And so that is just what we did.
I did some research, in fact, a lot of research, and I was shocked and somewhat confused by all the methods and recipes for rye bread. I came across this recipe which included a starter, a method I really wanted to try. Starters, also known as “mother dough,” are probably most well known in sourdough breads. The fermentation of the flour and yeast for an extended amount of time is what gives it a distinct, sour taste.Some mother doughs can even be hundreds of years old.
But don’t worry, you don’t have to wait years or even weeks for the starter in this recipe to develop. The starter for this challah sits just overnight, and while it may seem weird or even gross, it adds a great depth of flavor and slight tang to this challah.
Can you skip this step? Yes absolutely. If you forget to make it the night before, or if it just seems too daunting, don’t worry about it. I tried it both ways, and they were both delicious. Nevertheless, if you are up for the extra step, the starter does add a special depth of flavor.
I’ve always loved deli sandwiches on challah bread, and so this hybrid challah is truly the ideal vessel for some pastrami and mustard.
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