I got this recipe from the wonderful Molly Breslin. Baking challah, or any bread, from scratch isn't difficult, it just takes some time. Most of that time is spent waiting for the dough to rise. I like baking on Sundays, and I use the rising periods for short bouts of studying.
Shosh's Challah (2 loaves)
5 1/2 - 6 c. flour
1 T dry yeast
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/4 t salt
6 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 c water plus 2 t
1 egg
1. In a small bowl (#1), put yeast, 1 T sugar, 1/4 c water. Mix and
let it stand for 10 minutes or until it bubbles.
2. In bowl #2 put all dry ingredients: flour, salt, sugar; mix them well.
3. In bowl #3 put all wet ingredients: water, oil, egg, and the yeast mixture after it's bubbled; mix them well.
4. Mix everything together to make the dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour until you can handle it. Use your hands to mix and press the mixture until it forms a ball of dough.
5. Cover with a towel, and let the dough stand in a warm place for an hour or an hour and a half until it doubles in size.
6. Punch the dough to let out the air bubbles (this is the fun part!).
7. Let stand for 10 minutes.
8. For traditional-style challah, separate dough into six even
pieces, roll each piece into a snake either between your hands or on
the table, and make two braids. Turn the ends under so they look
pretty. You may need to keep a little flour out to keep them from
getting too sticky. Or, weave them into any design you like. Place
them on greased and floured cookie sheets.
9. Beat one egg in a small bowl. Brush both braids with egg. Let them
stand half an hour, and then
brush with egg again. If you
like, sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds after the second egg wash.
10. Let rise for an hour or an hour and a half until the loaves double in size. Be patient!
11. Heat oven to 375F.
12. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until the tops turn golden.
13. Eat all at once because it's so yummy that you can't stop yourself.
sugarbelle, supercocoabear, Tea_Bea, bitzi ☂ ion-bogdan dumitrescu, and 25 other people added this photo to their favorites.
LynnInSingapore 92 months ago | reply
Agree on the can't stop yourself part, I made this loaf and ate the whole thing almost all by myself =o(
photo kitten 92 months ago | reply
That looks divinely good!
Ruthieki 92 months ago | reply
Thanks! It tastes pretty good, too. :)
smitten 85 months ago | reply
This looks fantastic. I'm going to tackle making a challah (and oh, the French toast we will make from the leftovers on Saturday!) this Friday, and might have to try this recipe instead of the one from Bittman's How To Cook Everything I was considering. Question: is it on the sweet side with a half-cup of sugar?
Ruthieki 85 months ago | reply
It does taste a little sweet, but not too sweet, in my opinion. Keep in mind that the recipe makes two big loaves (one got completely eaten before it cooled, and therefore didn't make it into the picture) so the sugar is well-diluted with other stuff. I hope you do try this recipe-- I got if from a friend who makes the BEST challah. She got it from her friend who makes the BEST challah. Now I've become the girl people beg for her challah recipe. It's that good! Report back here how it turns out if you do make it.
smitten 85 months ago | reply
Sold! I'll let you know how it goes, and thanks for the advice!
smitten 85 months ago | reply
I finally made the challah and loved it. I ended up mixing your recipe and the Bittman one - I dorked out and lined them up next to each other, realizing that they were almost the same. His called for less sugar and I should have done it your way - like you said! But, it did call for 3 eggs, and I have to admit I like the egginess of it. Must keep tweaking! And stop picking at it! Thanks again.
The Gifted Photographer 77 months ago | reply
Please add this extraordinary photograph to our Shabbat group:
www.flickr.com/groups/12814867@N00/
Many thanks!
hendongirl 71 months ago | reply
hmmmm - thinking of trying this! looks yummy!
rosewithoutathorn84 71 months ago | reply
Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Jewish History - Ancient and Modern, and we'd love to have your photo added to the group.
Kevin Held What 50 months ago | reply
My dough didn't rise. :(
tamsaf 29 months ago | reply
I've been using this recipe for almost a couple of years now...it's fantastic!