Challahabm Recipes

CHALLAH BREAD

Steps:

• Grease large bowl and large cookie sheet with shortening; set aside. In another large bowl, stir 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast until well mixed. In 1-quart saucepan, heat 1 cup water and butter over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and mixture is very warm (120°F to 130°F).
• Add warm liquid and 4 whole eggs to flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until moistened; beat on medium speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl frequently. With spoon, stir in enough remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.
• Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead in 1/2 to 1 cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl; turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap and cloth towel. Let rise in warm place about 35 to 45 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
• Punch down dough several times to remove all air bubbles. Divide dough in half; roll into two 14x6-inch rectangles. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into three 14x2-inch strips. Braid strips together; tuck ends under to seal. Place crosswise on greased cookie sheet. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 15 to 25 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400°F. Bake 10 minutes. In small bowl, mix 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon water until well mixed. Brush over top of loaves; sprinkle with poppy seed. Bake 5 to 10 minutes longer or until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling racks. Cool completely.

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.

AMAZING FAST RISE CHALLAH BREAD - ONE SMALL LOAF

Steps:

• Mix warm water, oil and egg together into a stand mixer bowl. Mix, with kneading hook, until blended.
• Add salt, sugar, and yeast and flour ( small amount at a time). Mix with hook until a soft dough is formed. You may need to add a bit more warm water ( or more flour if needed). Check the dough, it should be soft and slightly sticky. It should easily form into a smooth ball. When the right consistency is reached, knead with hook for 6 minutes.
• Take dough ball out and place into oiled bowl-turn it over so that the oil in on all sides. Cover with saran wrap and let rise until doubled ( about 30 minutes or more).
• Punch down dough and divide into thirds. Roll each piece into a strand . Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place all three strands onto sheet and braid. Cover with saran wrap and let rise again until doubled ( about 30 minutes or more). In the mean time preheat oven to 375°F.
• Brush top of braid with beaten egg yolk and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

MY FAVORITE CHALLAH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
• 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.)
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. 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. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
• To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. 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. 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 what is now 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.
• Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour in refrigerator if preferred.
• To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. (If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.) Then dip your index finger in the egg wash, then into poppy or sesame seeds and then onto a mound of bread. Continue until bread is decorated with seeds.
• Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack.

CHALLAH

Steps:

• Place the yeast, 2 teaspoons of the sugar and 2 teaspoons of the flour in a tall tumbler. Add ¾ cup of the water and mix well. Set in a warm place and leave covered.
• In a big bowl, place 4 cups of flour. Add 1½ cups of the water, ½ cup of the oil, ½ cup of the sugar, the salt and 2 of the eggs and mix well.
• When the yeast mixture reaches the top of the glass, add to the batter in the bowl. Mix well and gradually add 3 more cups of the flour. Knead the mixture right in the bowl until very smooth and elastic. Cover and set in a warm place for about 5 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
• Knock the dough down and add about ¾ cup more of the flour, kneading well to give a soft but not sticky dough. Oil the top of the dough with the remaining oil. Cover and let rise again until doubled in bulk, which should take another 2½ hours.
• Knead again. Divide the dough in two. Shape into two loaves to fit in loaf tins, or braid on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, which should be another hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine the remaining egg and sugar and brush over the top of the loaves. Sprinkle with seeds if desired. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until done.

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.

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.