Loaf #4 of 100 for 2007, Purple Challah Ring

A friend gave me some purple yam powder he got from an Asian market. The ingredients were just powdered purple yam, it's only purpose was to make the challah loaf purple. After baking it was slightly purple if you saw it in good light, but I was just adding it for the novelty. It was also my first time making a ring of rolls.


Purple Challah

Mix together
12 oz high gluten flour
12 oz bread flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons purple yam powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Add
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon yeast
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
9 oz cold water

Knead until smooth, put in an oiled bowl. Cover and proof at room temp, or put in a cold oven with a pan of hot water, for about 2 hours until double in size. Punch down, fold over on itself a few times and shape the dough. In this case I made 8 equal boule balls (I think they were about 4 oz each) and formed them into a ring. Let proof for another hour or more (I was distracted and this rose for 3 hours without ill consequences.)

After second proof, turn oven to 350, glaze the bread with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired. Bake for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the loaf (this one baked about 40 minutes.) Cool. Bread tears away easily at the joints between the boule balls.