It's no secret that I am a lover of all things carbohydrate. One of my favorite recipes is challah, a delicious egg bread with a pretzel-like crust (it's no wonder I enjoy it so much). It's a kosher bread traditionally baked for Shabbat dinner- however, you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy it! Here's a little secret- if you have any left over the next day, it makes the most amazing French toast. A-mazing. Here's the recipe (via Smitten Kitchen) with my simplified instructions on the six-strand braid:
Challah
1
1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons or 3/8 ounces or 11 grams)
1
TBSP (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
TBSP (14 grams) table salt
8
to 8 1/2 cups (1000 to 1063 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2
cup raisins (about 70 grams) per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and
drained
Poppy
or sesame seeds for sprinkling.
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. 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.
4.
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. 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. Here’s
how to braid the challah:
Outside
right strand over 2 strands.
Second
strand from the left and move it to the far right.
Outside
left strand and move it over 2.
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.
5.
Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise
another hour.
6.
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.
7.
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.
Note: Any of the three risings can be
done in the fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed flavor. When
you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature before
moving onto the next step.
So, as you can see, a lot of this is inactive prep because of the risings- however, it is well worth the wait! There is nothing is like fresh bread- holla!
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Today started out rather sleepily. I put on some coffee for Parker and myself (accidentally forgetting to pour the water into the coffee maker- fail) and the three of us sat in the living room. Scratch that- two of us sat and one of us was bouncing happily in his bouncer. We sat like this for a little while, sipping away, and then decided to go on an outing to the library. Once we got there, Miles and I headed to the children's section of the library while Parker went to find his books. While Miles and I were reading one of the cute cardboard books, a little boy (who seemed to be around four) came up to us and started talking and playing with Miles. It was really sweet.
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