Korban Recipe

Before beginning the recipe, I'd suggest visiting the Prayers page to prepare mentally and spiritually for the task of baking the korban. This is a holy work and can be of great spiritual benefit if treated as more than just baking bread.

Preheat the oven to 400° (375° if you're using convection)

Set proofing machine to 100°

In the bowl of a stand mixer add 2260 g of bread flour and 15 g of yeast and mix until well combined

Measure out 1500 g of warm water (between 100-110°) and add gradually to the flour mixture while on slow speed

After all the water has been added, increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high and allow the mixture to work until all the flour and water have been well incorporated and the walls of the bowl are clean, about 5-7 minutes. The dough should be slightly tacky but not wet or sticky

• The dough will not pass the windowpane test

Dump the dough out onto the work surface and keep covered with the bowl of the stand mixer to prevent from drying out

Begin to portion and weigh balls of dough to the desired size: 8 oz, 12 oz, or 16 oz

Fold the portioned dough in onto itself to form a taught ball, rolling under a cupped hand on the work surface to ensure roundness and taught skin

Flatten each ball slightly and add it to a silicone/parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with an inverted baking sheet or a baking sheet cover. Space each round about 3 inches apart to account for proofing and oven spring

As each tray is filled with dough rounds, add it, covered, to the proofer for the initial rise, about 10 minutes

After the initial rise, working one by one, gently place a dough round onto a lightly floured pizza peel. Flatten dough round firmly and evenly with a floured wooden square. This should produce a perfectly round korban loaf

Dust the smallest amount of flour onto the surface of the loaf and stamp it firmly and evenly with a clean/dry seal. Pull seal straight up to remove cleanly. The size of the seal should be approximately 50-75% of the size of the korban for the correct desired look

Puncture five holes into the appropriate places in the seal

Gently pop any small bubbles forming on the surface of the loaves to deter any blemishes from forming during the backing process

Gently slide the stamped loaf off of the pizza peel back onto the lined baking sheet and keep covered with an inverted sheet tray. Repeat for all dough rounds

Return covered trays to proofer and allow loaves to rise for 40 mins

• Sign of well-proofed dough: when poked, it should spring back but leave a small indent

After removing from proofer, make sure each loaf is punctured clearly, taking care to puncture again if needed

Add water to an empty sheet tray and slide it onto the lowest rack in the oven to create steam and humidity. Refill with water as necessary for the duration of the baking

Place each tray of korban into the preheated oven, uncovered

Bake for 6 minutes then remove to puncture holes again to ensure they don't close up while in the oven. Return to the oven to finish baking

After about 10 minutes of baking, or once the loaves begin to take on some color, rotate each tray

After a total of 23 minutes of baking, remove trays from the oven

• Each loaf should have an even, light brown color and should sound hollow if tapped from the bottom

Place trays on a heat-proof surface and cover with a heavy towel, a layer of plastic sheeting, and another heavy towel

• This step is crucial. It allows for steam to soften the crust of the korban loaves to keep them from getting too crisp, keeping them pliable

Korban is ready to be transferred to the liturgical offering basket after 10 minutes but can be left covered in this manner for up to 1 hour

Before transferring to liturgical offering basket, use a pastry brush to remove all excess/visible flour on the loaves

Before beginning the recipe, I'd suggest visiting the Prayers page to prepare mentally and spiritually for the task of baking the korban. This is a holy work and can be of great spiritual benefit if treated as more than just baking bread.

Preheat the oven to 400° (375° if you're using convection)

In the bowl of a stand mixer add 2260 g of bread flour and 15 g of yeast and mix until well combined

Measure out 1500 g of warm water (between 100-110°) and add gradually to the flour mixture while on slow speed

After all the water has been added, increase the speed of the mixer to medium-high and allow the mixture to work until all the flour and water have been well incorporated and the walls of the bowl are clean, about 5-7 minutes. The dough should be slightly tacky but not wet or sticky

• The dough will not pass the windowpane test

Dump the dough out onto the work surface and keep covered with the bowl of the stand mixer to prevent from drying out

Begin to portion and weigh balls of dough to the desired size: 8 oz, 12 oz, or 16 oz

Fold the portioned dough in onto itself to form a taught ball, rolling under a cupped hand on the work surface to ensure roundness and taught skin

Flatten each ball slightly and add it to a silicone/parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with an inverted baking sheet or a baking sheet cover. Space each round about 3 inches apart to account for proofing and oven spring

Allow dough to rest for an initial rise for 15 minutes while still covered

After the initial rise, working one by one, gently place a dough round onto a lightly floured pizza peel. Flatten dough round firmly and evenly with a floured wooden square. This should produce a perfectly round korban loaf

Dust the smallest amount of flour onto the surface of the loaf and stamp it firmly and evenly with a clean/dry seal. Pull seal straight up to remove cleanly. The size of the seal should be approximately 50-75% of the size of the korban for the correct desired look

Puncture five holes into the appropriate places in the seal

Gently pop any small bubbles forming on the surface of the loaves to deter any blemishes from forming during the backing process

Gently slide the stamped loaf off of the pizza peel back onto the lined baking sheet and keep covered with an inverted sheet tray. Repeat for all dough rounds

Allow covered trays to proof in a warm area for 1 hour and 15 minutes

• Sign of well-proofed dough: when poked, it should spring back but leave a small indent

After rising, make sure each loaf is punctured clearly, taking care to puncture again if needed

Add water to an empty sheet tray and slide it onto the lowest rack in the oven to create steam and humidity. Refill with water as necessary for the duration of the baking

Place each tray of korban into the preheated oven, uncovered

Bake for 6 minutes then remove to puncture holes again to ensure they don't close up while in the oven. Return to the oven to finish baking

After about 10 minutes of baking, or once the loaves begin to take on some color, rotate each tray

After a total of 23 minutes of baking, remove trays from the oven

• Each loaf should have an even, light brown color and should sound hollow if tapped from the bottom

Place trays on a heat-proof surface and cover with a heavy towel, a layer of plastic sheeting, and another heavy towel

• This step is crucial. It allows for steam to soften the crust of the korban loaves to keep them from getting too crisp, keeping them pliable

Korban is ready to be transferred to the liturgical offering basket after 10 minutes but can be left covered in this manner for up to 1 hour

Before transferring to liturgical offering basket, use a pastry brush to remove all excess/visible flour on the loaves

Before beginning the recipe, I'd suggest visiting the Prayers page to prepare mentally and spiritually for the task of baking the Korban. This is a holy work and can be of great spiritual benefit if treated as more than just baking bread.

Preheat the oven to 400° (375° if you're using convection)

In a large mixing bowl add 2260 g of bread flour and 15 g of yeast and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined

Measure out 1500 g of warm water (between 100-110°) and add gradually to the flour mixture while continuing to mix with a wooden spoon

After all the water has been added and soaked up by the flour, dump mixture out onto a clean work surface and begin to knead by hand until a smooth dough forms, about 15 minutes. The dough should be slightly tacky but not wet or sticky

• The dough will not pass the windowpane test

Cover the dough with the mixing bowl to prevent from drying out

Begin to portion and weigh balls of dough to the desired size: 8 oz, 12 oz, or 16 oz

Fold the portioned dough in onto itself to form a taught ball, rolling under a cupped hand on the work surface to ensure roundness and taught skin

Flatten each ball slightly and add it to a silicone/parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with an inverted baking sheet or a baking sheet cover. Space each round about 3 inches apart to account for proofing and oven spring

Allow dough to rest for an initial rise for 15 minutes while still covered

After the initial rise, working one by one, gently place a dough round onto a lightly floured pizza peel. Flatten dough round firmly and evenly with a floured wooden square. This should produce a perfectly round korban loaf

Dust the smallest amount of flour onto the surface of the loaf and stamp it firmly and evenly with a clean/dry seal. Pull seal straight up to remove cleanly. The size of the seal should be approximately 50-75% of the size of the korban for the correct desired look

Puncture five holes into the appropriate places in the seal

Gently pop any small bubbles forming on the surface of the loaves to deter any blemishes from forming during the backing process

Gently slide the stamped loaf off of the pizza peel back onto the lined baking sheet and keep covered with an inverted sheet tray. Repeat for all dough rounds

Allow covered trays to proof in a warm area for 1 hour and 15 minutes

• Sign of well-proofed dough: when poked, it should spring back but leave a small indent

After rising, make sure each loaf is punctured clearly, taking care to puncture again if needed

Add water to an empty sheet tray and slide it onto the lowest rack in the oven to create steam and humidity. Refill with water as necessary for the duration of the baking

Place each tray of korban into the preheated oven, uncovered

Bake for 6 minutes then remove to puncture holes again to ensure they don't close up while in the oven. Return to the oven to finish baking

After about 10 minutes of baking, or once the loaves begin to take on some color, rotate each tray

After a total of 23 minutes of baking, remove trays from the oven

• Each loaf should have an even, light brown color and should sound hollow if tapped from the bottom

Place trays on a heat-proof surface and cover with a heavy towel, a layer of plastic sheeting, and another heavy towel

• This step is crucial. It allows for steam to soften the crust of the korban loaves to keep them from getting too crisp, keeping them pliable

Korban is ready to be transferred to the liturgical offering basket after 10 minutes but can be left covered in this manner for up to 1 hour

Before transferring to liturgical offering basket, use a pastry brush to remove all excess/visible flour on the loaves