I'm filing this post under recipes AND rainy day activity, because come on, what's better on a cozy day than the smell of fresh bread in the oven?Note: This recipe calls for 3 risings (1hr min, 30 min, 1 hr). If time is short, you can do two. The suggestion is to leave the dough to rise in a warm place. Since I don't have a boiler in my apt, I let the dough rise in a warmed oven that had been turned off. If you choose to do this, the first step in this recipe is to preheat the oven to its lowest setting and turn it off. You can also choose either of the first two risings in the refrigerator for as long as you'd like. The recipe says for a few hours, but I did mine overnight and the third rising in the oven and it tasted great. Just be sure to let the dough come to room temp before kneading/braiding.
Ingredients (makes 2 loaves):
1.5 packages of active dry yeast (1.5 tablespoons)
1 TB plus 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
5 large eggs
1 TB salt
8 cups all purpose or bread flour
Approx 2 TB honey
optional: 1/2 cup raisins per challah, poppy or sesame seeds
Preparation:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 TB sugar in 1 3/4 cups of warm water.
Whisk oil into yeast and then 4 eggs, one at a time. Add in remaining (3/4 cup) sugar and salt.
With a wooden spoon, gradually add flour. When dough holds together in a ball, it is ready for kneading.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Usually takes about 5 minutes.
Clean out bowl and grease it with oil or cooking spray. Return dough to bowl and put it in prewarmed oven or fridge to rise (see note above) for 1hr. Hopefully it it will double in size. Mine doesn't always but still seems to work!
Punch dough down and let rise another 30 minutes.
Turn dough onto floured surface, split in half, and braid! (if you are using raisins, add them now)
6 braid challahs are beautiful, but even with explicit instructions, I can never make them. So, if you know how, great. If you don't and want to stick with the 3 braid, the easiest way it to it is to rolls the dough into 3 long rods, each at least 12 inches long. Place them in a row and pinch the middles together so it looks kind of like a bow tie with the knot in the middle and 3 fingers coming out from each side. Proceed to braid each side (outside rod to the middle, alternating) and pinch the ends when you're done. If you want a round challah, once you're done braiding, pinch the two ends together (firmly! They tend to fall apart during the next rise).
Do the same with the other loaf. At this point in the recipe I used, it suggests if you want to save the second loaf to braid it and then freeze it (braid and egg wash after defrosting for about 5 hrs). When I did this, the braids completely fell apart. So, I would suggest freezing the dough BEFORE braiding. Although, I guarantee you will eat the first loaf so fast you'll wish you had baked them both. No more freezing for me.Place loaves/loaf on greased cookie sheet (leave space for expansion in between). Beat the remaining egg with the honey and brush over the challah. Be generous, this is the part that gives the bread the beautiful sheen and nice crunch.
Let rise another hour.
Preheat oven to 375. Bake on middle rack for about 30-40 minutes or until darkly golden. (I made the mistake of taking them out when just golden and found myself with a raw center...)
Cool loaves on a rack.
Eat with butter and raw honey while warm. Use leftovers for french toast. Bring to dinner parties. Make mini versions for sandwiches. Possibilities are endless.
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