Challah By Hand Recipes

CHALLAH BREAD

Steps:

• Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl with 1½ teaspoons sea salt, stir to combine then make a well in the centre.
• Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat. Next, pour in 1½ tablespoons of oil and 350ml water into the well and add most of the beaten egg (saving a little for egg washing later). Mix with a fork, then bring together with your hands to form a ball.
• On a lightly dusted surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and springy. Be careful not to add too much flour here to prevent the dough drying out.
• Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
• To braid your challah, divide the dough into two balls. Put one aside covered with a damp tea towel and cut the other ball into 4 even pieces. Roll each piece into a thin sausage-shape, roughly 60cm long.
• Place two of the strands next to each other vertically. Weave the remaining two strands horizontally over and under the vertical strands to form a cross shape.
• Working with the top pair of strands, take the strand that is underneath and place over the strand next to it. Do the same with the next pair of strands and continue this around the cross. Once all four pairs have been crossed over, do the same in the reverse direction - clockwise/anti-clockwise depending on your strands. The rule to go by is to always place the underneath strand over its pair.
• Continue this process until you have used up the dough. As you start to run out of dough tuck the ends under the loaf to form a neat braided ball. Place on a lined baking tray.
• Repeat the braiding technique with your second ball of dough.
• Cover both loaves loosely with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
• Use the remaining egg to glaze the challah. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden. Adding extra egg wash halfway, if needed.

CHALLAH

Steps:

• Pour ¼ cup of the lukewarm water (about 110 degrees) into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 packet of active dry yeast and 1 tsp of sugar to the bowl, stir to dissolve. Wait 10 minutes. The yeast should have activated, meaning it will look expanded and foamy. If it doesn't, your yeast may have expired, which means your bread won't rise-go buy some fresh yeast! This step Is called "proofing" the yeast - if you're using instant yeast you can skip this step and simply add the yeast to your dry ingredients. If you're using fresh yeast (or compressed or cake yeast), simply stir it into the lukewarm water to dissolve, then add the remaining wet ingredients - no need to wait for proofing.
• Once your yeast has activated, add remaining 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water to the bowl along with the egg, egg yolks, honey, oil, and salt. Use a whisk to thoroughly blend the ingredients together.
• Begin adding the flour to the bowl by half-cupfuls, stirring with a large spoon each time flour is added. When mixture becomes too thick to stir, use your hands to knead.Continue to add flour and knead the dough until it's smooth, elastic, and not sticky. The amount of flour you will need to achieve this texture varies-only add flour until the dough feels pliable and "right." If you plan to add raisins or chocolate chips to the challah, incorporate into the dough as you knead.
• Place a saucepan full of water on the stove to boil.Meanwhile, remove the dough from your mixing bowl and wash out the bowl. Grease the bowl with oil. Push the dough back into the bottom of the bowl, then flip it over so that both sides are slightly moistened by the oil.
• Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Place the bowl of dough on the middle rack of your oven. Take the saucepan full of boiling water and place it below the rack where your dough sits. Close the oven, but do not turn it on. The pan of hot water will create a warm, moist environment for your dough to rise. Let the dough rise for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size. This may take longer depending on a number of things, including weather conditions... be patient! It's important to let the dough rise for best results.
• Take the dough bowl out and punch it down several times to remove air pockets.
• Place it back inside the oven and let it rise for 1 hour longer, or until the dough doubles in size.
• Take the dough out of the oven. Flour a smooth surface like a cutting board. Punch the dough down into the bowl a few times, then turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Knead for a few minutes, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from feeling sticky.
• Now your dough is ready to braid. If you plan to separate and bless the challah, do it prior to braiding. Click here to learn how to braid challah.After you've braided your challah, place it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (this will catch any spills from your egg wash and keep your challah from sticking to the cookie sheet).Note: I usually only put a single challah braid on a cookie sheet, since they tend to expand a lot when baking.
• Prepare your egg wash by beating the egg, salt and water till smooth. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of the mixture onto the visible surface of your challah. If you're adding sesame seeds or some other topping, sprinkle it on the damp dough now - the egg wash helps it stick. Reserve the leftover egg wash.
• Let the braid rise 30 to 45 minutes longer. You'll know the dough is ready to bake when you press your finger into the dough and the indentation stays, rather than bouncing back.Heat oven to 350 degrees F. The challah needs to bake for about 40 minutes total, but to get the best result the baking should be done in stages. First, set your timer to 20 minutes and put your challah in the oven.
• After 20 minutes, take the challah out of the oven and coat the center of the braid with another thin layer of egg wash. This area tends to expand during baking, exposing areas that will turn white unless they are coated with egg wash.Turn the tray around, so the opposite side is facing front, and put the tray back into the oven. Turning the tray helps your challah brown evenly-the back of the oven is usually hotter than the front.
• The challah will need to bake for about 20 minutes longer. For this last part of the baking process, keep an eye on your challah-it may be browning faster than it's baking. Once the challah is browned to your liking, take the tray out and tent it with foil, then place it back in the oven. Remove the foil for the last 2 minutes of baking time.Take the challah out of the oven. At this point your house should smell delicious. You can test the bread for doneness by turning it over and tapping on the bottom of the loaf-if it makes a hollow sound, it's done. Let challah cool on the baking sheet or a wire cooling rack before serving.

CHALLAH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil, sugar, salt, eggs and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Divide each portion into thirds. Shape each piece into a 15-in. rope. , Place 3 ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 350°. Beat egg and cold water; brush over braids. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if desired. Bake until golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

MOST AMAZING CHALLAH

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the water in a large bowl, and stir gently to moisten the yeast. Stir in salt, sugar, margarine, and 4 eggs, and beat well. Gradually mix in the flour, 1 cup at a time, up to 12 cups, until the dough becomes slightly tacky but not wet. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Grease baking sheets, or line them with parchment paper and set aside.
• Cut the bread dough into 4 equal-sized pieces (or 2 pieces to make 2 large loaves). Cut each piece into thirds for 3-strand braided loaves. Working on a floured surface, roll the small dough pieces into ropes about the thickness of your thumb and about 12 inches long. Ropes should be fatter in the middle and thinner at the ends. Pinch 3 ropes together at the top and braid them. Starting with the strand to the right, move it to the left over the middle strand (that strand becomes the new middle strand.) Take the strand farthest to the left, and move it over the new middle strand. Continue braiding, alternating sides each time, until the loaf is braided, and pinch the ends together and fold them underneath for a neat look. Repeat for the remaining loaves.
• Place the loaves onto the prepared baking sheets, and let rise until double in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Whisk 1 egg with vanilla extract in a small bowl, and brush the loaves with the egg wash. Sprinkle each loaf with about 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are shiny and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

CHALLAH BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Place 6 cups of flour, salt, and yeast into a large mixing bowl. Give it a quick whisk.
• Add honey, oil, water, and 3 eggs into the bowl.
• Using a spatula (or a wooden spoon), mix until they are incorporated.
• Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured kitchen counter and knead for 10-15 minutes.
• Grease a clean bowl with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Place the dough seam side down into the greased bowl. Turn the dough a few times to make sure it is coated with oil.
• Cover it with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest in a warmer part of your house for one and a half hours until it doubles in size.
• Punch down the dough to get all the air bubbles out. Cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rise again for 45-minutes to an hour.
• Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. I used a kitchen scale to weigh the dough and then to cut it into equal pieces. However, you can also eyeball it.
• Roll each piece into a small ball and set them aside. Cover with a towel to make sure they won't dry out while you are working on the braiding.
• To roll, take each piece, gently push it into a small rectangular (using the heel of your palm) and roll it out by starting in the middle and toward the edges. Gently pinch the seam and continue to roll out. If at any point it becomes difficult to roll out just let it rest for 5 minutes and roll it again. In the end, we want our strands to be around 12 to 13 inches long.
• Lay the strands lengthwise on the counter, pinch them together at the top.
• Start from the strand that is on the very left and bring over to the very right.
• Then take the one next to it and bring it to the very left.
• Next, bring the one that is at the very right in between the four strands that are at the bottom.
• Move the second one from the left to the very right and then bring the on the very left into the between the strands at the bottom.
• Continue with repeating the same steps until you are no longer able to move strands.
• When you reach the end, bring them in, tie together underneath and pinch to make sure that they won't come undone.
• Transfer the braided Challah onto a parchement lined baking sheet.
• Repeat the same process for the second set of strands (for the second Challah loaf)
• Mix an egg with a tablespoon of water to make egg wash.
• Brush each loaf with the egg wash and let it rise in the warmer part of your house for an hour.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Right before baking, brush it with the egg wash one last time and sprinkle it with sesame or poppy seeds, if using.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top turns to golden brown. Remove it from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 30-45 minutes before slicing.
• Serve.

CHALLAH BY HAND

Steps:

• Butter a large bowl; set aside. Stir all remaining ingredients, except the egg for egg wash and the butter for brushing, in a large bowl until well combined. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead dough, adding flour if needed, until smooth and pliable, about 15 minutes.
• Transfer dough to buttered bowl; brush top with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead 5 minutes, then return to bowl. Brush top with remaining tablespoon melted butter, and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise again until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour more.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Divide dough into three equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, and loosely cover each ball with buttered plastic wrap. Let rest 20 minutes.
• Roll each ball into a 12-inch-long log, leaving the middle a little thicker than the ends. Lay logs side by side lengthwise; pinch together ends farthest from you, then tightly braid strands, pulling them as you go. Tuck ends of braid underneath. Transfer to a buttered baking sheet, and loosely cover with buttered plastic wrap. Let dough rise until almost doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
• Brush dough lightly with egg wash. Bake until golden brown and firm and an instant-read thermometer inserted into bottom registers 180 degrees and comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. If challah browns too quickly, loosely tent with foil. Immediately transfer to a wire rack; let cool at least 45 minutes.

CHALLAH

Steps:

• Place the flour in a large mixing bowl. Measure the sugar into the middle, the yeast on one side of the bowl, and the salt on the other side. Using your fingertips, rub the yeast and salt into the flour.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, 1 whole egg and the egg yolk. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the egg mixture, followed by 150ml/5¼fl oz tepid water (neither warm or cold).
• Mix the flour and the liquid together, first with a fork, and then your hands to make a craggy dough.
• Transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead on a medium setting for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and quite elastic. Cover the bowl with cling film or a damp tea towel and leave to rest for 2 hours. The mixture should at least double in size.
• Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside. Tip the dough out onto a very lightly floured or oiled work surface (oil is better but difficult to scrub out of wooden work surfaces) and lightly knock back any air bubbles with the heel of your hand.
• Divide the dough into 3 equal size pieces. Roll these into ropes at least 30cm/12in long. You can afford to be quite hands on with the dough. Pinch the 3 ropes together at the top and braid them together, pinching them together at the base. Tuck these ends under so they're not visible, and transfer the loaf to the baking tray. Cover with cling film and leave to rise for another 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl and brush the loaf generously with the egg wash. Once the oven is hot, brush again with a layer of egg wash and sprinkle the top of the loaf with poppy seeds, if using.
• Bake for 30 minutes (check at 25) until the top is golden and when you tap the bottom of the challah it sounds hollow. Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing.

CHALLAH I

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over barely warm water. Beat in honey, oil, 2 eggs, and salt. Add the flour one cup at a time, beating after each addition, graduating to kneading with hands as dough thickens. Knead until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let rise for 1 1/2 hours or until dough has doubled in bulk.
• Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto floured board. Divide in half and knead each half for five minutes or so, adding flour as needed to keep from getting sticky. Divide each half into thirds and roll into long snake about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Pinch the ends of the three snakes together firmly and braid from middle. Either leave as braid or form into a round braided loaf by bringing ends together, curving braid into a circle, pinch ends together. Grease two baking trays and place finished braid or round on each. Cover with towel and let rise about one hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat the remaining egg and brush a generous amount over each braid. Sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 40 minutes. Bread should have a nice hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. Cool on a rack for at least one hour before slicing.