OMG! I don't know what to say. I have always loved Challah but I have never made it before and never had it straight out of the oven. This was as good as Challah from a Jewish bakery in Brooklyn and I didn't have to leave Voorheesville! Amazing. I got it from the smitten kitchen blog which I just love. She is great. The only thing I botched a little was the braiding part... but it didn't matter. I will perfect it next time. Let's make it!
Time: about 1 hour, plus 2 1/2 hours’ rising
Yield: 2 loaves (I halved the recipe to make one loaf)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons or 3/8 ounces or 11 grams)
1 tablespoon (13 grams) plus 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1/2 cup (118 ml) olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon (14 grams) table salt
8 to 8 1/2 cups (1000 to 1063 grams) all-purpose flour
Optional:
1/2 cup raisins (about 70 grams) per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and drained
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling.
NOTE: The recipe above is for 2 loaves. I made one and the pictures below just show one loaf. Next time I will probably make two... if I can find people to eat it!
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon (13 grams) sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
2. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for it, though it can be done.)
3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, or knead in kitchen aid mixer, like I did. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off.
It will look like this:
4. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
After second rise:
5. (At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves.) To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls.
6. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together.
7. Here are the instructions for braiding it... As I said, I couldn't really follow it but it turned out OK... I would have liked it prettier and will try again next time!
Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
8. Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour. SAVE EGG WASH if you are baking immediately -- you will paint it again before it goes in the oven!
After rising another hour:
9. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.
10. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. (If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take it out when it hits an internal temperature of 190 degrees.) Cool loaves on a rack.
Enjoy!!
-- Anya
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