Challah, or egg bread, is a delicious bread that can stand alone or works wonderfully when used for french toast. Which is this breads fate on Christmas morning! I did a little research since it’s a bread that is steeped in history. It is always braided, but during the Jewish New Year it is braided in a circle to represent the circle of the year. I chose not to use poppy seeds or sesame because I love it without and want to use this in a french toast casserole and didn’t think the seeds would add much to that dish. You can also add raisins to the dough and brush with honey to make the bread sweeter. Challah looks like a difficult bread to make, but with this recipe it isn’t.

Someone was anxiously awaiting the end of this photo session so she could enjoy some, “Yum!” 🙂

Challah

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting work surface
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 envelope instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup warm water, plus 1 Tbsp (about 110 degrees)
• 1 large egg white (for wash)
• 1 tsp poppy seeds or sesame (optional)

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Whisk together 3 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Mix together 2 eggs, egg yolk, melted butter, and 1/2 cup of warm water in bowl of standing mixer fitted with dough hook. Add flour mixture to wet mixture; knead at low-speed until dough ball forms, about 5 minutes, adding remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 Tbsp at a time, as needed to prevent dough from sticking. Whisk reserved egg with remaining 1 Tbsp water in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Transfer dough to a very lightly oiled large bowl, turning dough over to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Gently press dough to deflate, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until it has doubled in size again, 40 to 60 minutes.

Lightly grease large baking sheet and set aside. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface. Divide dough into 2 pieces, one roughly half the size of the other. Small piece will weigh about 9 ounces, larger piece will weigh about 18 ounces. Divide larger piece into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 16 inch long rope, about 1 inch in diameter. Line up ropes of dough side by side and pinch ends together. Take dough rope on bottom and lay it over center rope. Take dough rope on top and lay it over center rope. Repeat until ropes of dough are entirely braided, then pinch ends together. Place braid on baking sheet. Divide smaller piece of dough into 3 equal pieces. Repeat braiding process, but you’ll want these ropes to be 16 inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter. Brush some of the egg wash on top of the large loaf and place small braid on larger braid. Loosely drape loaf with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until loaf becomes puffy and increases in size by a third, 30 to 45 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and hear oven to 375 degrees. Brush loaf with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds, if using. Bake until loaf is golden brown and instant read thermometer inserted into the side of the loaf reads 190 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Place backing sheet on wire rack. Cool loaf completely before slicing.

Source: Cooks Illustrated, December 2006