Easy "Hell-ah" Challah!

I LOVE bread, but Challah caught me by surprise at how easy it is to make, AND the best part - it's lactose-free! Most breads contain milk, butter, and some even cheese. I learned to make Challah from a Rabbi's wife who have twelve children. Every Friday, she'd make enough loaves for her whole family and the community. Instead of measuring by cups she used a scale and measured by the pounds! Impressive!

I thank Miriam for showing me courage to make Challah. תודה

So, let's get started.

I am using and modifying the New York Times Challah recipe by Joan Nathan (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7199-my-favori...

It is the closest to what I made with Miriam, and I've used this recipe several times so for me - it's foolproof (now).

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-1/2 packages active dry yeast (1-1/2 Tbsps)
• 1 Tbsp + ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup cold water + 3/4 cup hot water
• ½ cup vegetable oil, more for greasing bowl
• 5 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 8 to 8-1/2 cups flour *
• Toppings: Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, dill, sea salt, or any other spices for sprinkling

* - I also use half whole wheat and white flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 Tbsp sugar in 1-3/4 cups lukewarm water.

Whisk oil in yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it’s ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading. Do not be alarmed if it seems the dough will crawl out of the bowl - the beater hook eventually brings it all back in!)

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. It will seem a bit sticky at first but just scrap it out of the bowl. No need for too much flour or bread will be tough.

Clean out the bowl and grease it, then return the dough to the greased bowl.

Cover bowl 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 150F then turned off.

Punch down dough, bring edges into center, flip over, cover, and let rise again in a warm place for another half an 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- to 1-1/2-inches wide. Place the 6 strands in rows parallel to each other. Pinch the tops of the strands together.

NOTE: You will work with the outermost two strands on the RIGHT or LEFT side at any one time.

1. Take the 2nd strand from the LEFT across all strands to the RIGHT side.

2. Move the 1st strand from the LEFT over to two strands, it lands between the four middle ones.

This is the basic pattern that you will repeat on the other side now.

1. Take the 2nd strand from the RIGHT across all strands to the LEFT side.

2. Move the 1st strand from the RIGHT over two strands to land between the four middle strands.

Repeat this pattern of moving the two strands from one side to their places, then switch sides.

When all strands are braided, pinch all strands together and tuck underneath for a straight loaf. For a circular loaf, twist the braid into a circle, pinch ends together, and tuck under.

Make the second loaf, braiding the same way. Place loaves on parchment on a cookie sheet with at least 2 inches between them. Later, I have some links for other numbers of strands to braid!

Beat remaining egg and brush on loaves. Either freeze the bread loaves or let rise another hour in the refrigerator, if preferred or let them sit for at least 30 minutes quietly to rise a bit.

It's optional to brush with the beaten egg if you don't wish to have a glossy or darker brown on the surface. Water, melted butter, or oil can be used to have the spices and toppings stick to the braided bread. The finished bread will have a more matte finish.

Shown on the left photo is the whole wheat dill mix without the egg wash finish. On the right is an egg-washed roll.

To bake, preheat the oven to 350F and brush loaves again. (If freezing, remove from the freezer 5 hours before baking and allow to thaw at room temperature.)

Sprinkle poppy, cumin, fennel, or sesame seeds, garlic, chopped/caramelized onion, salt, or other spices as you wish until the bread is decorated as you like. Challah can also be made sweet, not just savory. Some are filled with apples or raisins.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool loaves on a rack.

When cool, slice with a bread knife, savor and enjoy! Savor the smell of baked bread ... aaaahhhh.

To store bread, best left in the open for one day, then

stored in a plastic bag in a cool location until all eaten up! Sometimes my loaves don’t seem to last to the plastic bag storage stage.

I used half whole wheat flour and half bleached flour for this recipe. I also added a healthy amount of dried dill into the egg mixture. Be creative and add whatever flavor hits your fancy! And taste buds.

Challah makes excellent French Toast when sliced thick, soaked in egg mix, and cooked for 20 minutes on medium-low heat in a cast-iron skillet, covered. Then fry uncovered, flip to finish, and add a crispness! Serve with berry sauce or compote.

There are a variety of ways to braid the bread – the 6-strand braid is the most common and looks the best, giving an increased height. Develop your own style of braiding! There are some beautiful ways of braiding a loaf in the round.

Presentation of your Challah is always impressive if you have a different kind of braid. I quarter the dough and make (4) smaller challah to give away. Each strand can also become a small roll or bun. So festive!

Here are some Youtube videos for reference!

Here is a 6-strand braid with colored strands to show the pattern:

A good simple video for 5-strand braiding:

Start at 1:20 mark for 4-strand braiding and more strands after that:

This one has a really wide variety of shaping and braiding bread dough!

So these are just a few ideas for braiding and making your bread super special.

I hope you find it just as easy to make challah as I do.