CHALLAH BREAD

Challah, pronounced ‘hallah’ is a special bread in Jewish cuisine, typically eaten on ceremonial occasions such as Shabbat and major Jewish holidays.

Though I’m not Jewish, I for sure enjoy a fresh loaf of Challah. They are aesthetically beautiful and very delicious. Similar to a brioche, it’s a rich and eggy yeast bread. But Challah is lighter as it does not contain any dairy products such as butter and milk that brioche has.

I hope you will enjoy!

-Ari Yori

CHALLAH BREAD RECIPE

prep time: 20 minutes

rise time: 3 hours

baking time: 30-40 minutes

portion: 1 loaf of bread, 10-12 slices

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INGREDIENTS

3.5-4 cups (500-550g) all-purpose flour (550 flour), spooned and levelled

2 eggs

1/4 cup (55g) vegetable oil

3 tsp salt

1/4 cup (90g) honey

1/2 cup (122g) lukewarm water

2 tsp (9g) active dry yeast (1 sachet)

1 tbsp sugar

egg wash

1 egg

1 tbsp water

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm water. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes until the yeast activates and becomes foamy.

2. Whisk oil into yeast mixture then beat in the eggs, then add honey and salt. Gradually add in the flour and if you have a stand mixer knead the dough at medium speed. When the dough starts pulling away and it holds itself together, it is ready to knead by hand on a floured surface. If you don’t have stand mixer, you can do it all by hand. The dough may be slightly slack, which is totally fine. But. if your dough is too wet, then add 1-2 tbsp of additional flour.

3. Clean out bowl and grease the bowl and the dough with oil then place the dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. You can place it into the oven that is off with the light only turned on.

4. Punch down the dough and take the edges of the dough and fold it into the centre then flip it over. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise again for 1 hour.

5. For a 4 braided bread, divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Take each ball of dough and flatten it using your fingers into a rectangular shape. Then take the long ends of the dough and fold inwards to the middle to create a rolled tube shaped dough.

6. Very lightly oil your hands or your working surface. Gently roll each dough to 30-35cm long, starting from the middle then working your way to the ends of the dough. You want the dough to look like a sausage that is tapered at the ends. If you feel resistance, let the dough sit again to relax for another 5-10 minutes.

7. For braiding a 4-strand challah: place the dough strands 4 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the top strands together so all strands are connected together at the top. To start, you will cross over the farthest two strands by taking the last strand in the right and moving it to the far left then taking far left strand and moving it to the far right. Now, the braiding begins:

   • Take strand #1 (the one you moved from the far right) and place it in the middle then take strand #3 and place it in the far left.

   • Take strand #4 and place it in the middle and then you take strand #2 to the far right.

   • Repeat the two steps above until you have braided all of the dough.

8. Once you have braided your dough, pinch the ends and tuck them under the bread to hide the ends.

9. Cover the braided dough with a kitchen towel and let it sit and rise for 1 hour.

10. Prepare your egg-wash by whisking egg and water. After the 1 hour, brush the egg wash all over the braided dough. Sprinkle with some sesame or poppy seeds.

11. Pre-heat the oven to 355°F/180°C. Once your oven has pre-heated, place your bread into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown on top. If your bread turns dark too quickly, cover with aluminium foil. After your bread has baked, let it cool before serving.