I'm making pumpkin cookies today, but this is on the baking docket. If I do make it, would you mind if I shared the recipe on my blog??Here's my challah recipe.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, divided
- 1 packet active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 1/2 to 6 cups flour
1) Take your yeast and add a quarter cup of the lukewarm water to it in a large mixing bowl. Wait 10 minutes for it to be activated, should look foamy and frothy.
2) After your yeast has activated add the sugar, egg, egg yolks, honey, canola oil, and salt and mix it all together well.
3) Begin adding your flour by half-cupfuls. Make sure it has at least 4 and 1/2, but after that you're basically adding it until it reaches the right consistency. You want the dough to feel pliable and stretchy, but almost not sticky. This takes a few times to really figure it out and it may fluctuate from time to time. It will get hard to stir, but persevere!
4) Move the dough to a piece of parchment paper, wash out your mixing bowl, and coat the inside of the bowl with canola oil. Put the dough back in the bowl and flip to coat with the oil.
5) Time for it to rise! I boil a small saucepan of water and put it on the bottom rack of my oven. I cover the dough in the bowl with a clean dishtowel and put it on the top rack above the water.Close the oven, but DON'T TURN IT ON! The hot, steamy water with the closed environment allows optimum rising. Allow to rise for one hour.
6) Punch the dough back down in the bowl and allow to rise for one more hour.
7) Punch the dough down and then turn it out onto a floured surface. Knead for a few minutes.
8) Now comes the fun part! Divide the dough with a dough knife into three, four, or six equal portions. Roll them out into long strands. Braid them together. This takes a bit of practice. You can find YouTube tutorials or internet instructions for this, I'm not the best at describing how to do it. I've made a three-strand, four-strand, and six-strand braid. They're all beautiful! After braiding, put it on a large baking/cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
9) After braiding, add one egg, a tablespoon of cold water, and a teaspoon of salt together and whisk till combined well. Brush it onto the loaf and let the loaf rise for another 30-45 minutes. Reserve the remaining egg wash.
10) Put the loaf into the oven at 350F. Let cook for 20 minutes and remove. Brush the remaining egg wash on and put it back into the oven facing the opposite direction it originally was. Cook for 20 more minutes. If it's getting to brown, tent it with foil for the remaining time.
11) When its cool enough to handle, move it off the baking sheet, otherwise the parchment paper becomes soggy and makes the bottom of the bread too soft. The way to make sure it's good and done is to thump it on the bottom. Hollow sound? It's done! Wait until fully cool to cut into it. That way the bread doesn't become too stale before it's time and is fresh to the end!
Hope you guys make it and enjoy it as much as I have!
