Challah (Jewish Bread)

Challah  (Jewish Bread)

This recipe was given to me many years ago by my one and only sister-in-law and she makes the most beautiful loaves of this that I have ever seen.  I am guessing that this is just a different version of Challah because all she ever called it was Jewish Bread and then I lost the recipe that she gave me so I looked for it online and all the recipes I could find use honey and the technique is a little different. *I do not believe this is a traditional Challah.  Since I am not one of the best bread bakers on the planet I love the ease of this recipe so imagine how thrilled I was when I finally found the original recipe that was given to me!!  My family loves the sweetness of this bread and since this recipe makes so much I can usually freeze some for later use.  It goes well with a nice dinner or casual meal It’s just over all addictive!  If any of you try it I would love for you to let me know how you like it. 

Instructions:

In a large bowl mix together:

5 lbs. of all-purpose flour

2 cups of sugar

6 packs of rapid rise dry yeast

1 tbls. of salt

In a smaller bowl:

6 eggs (lightly beaten) set aside.

In a 1 to 2 quart pot:

4  3/4 cups of water

2 sticks plus 2 Tbsp. of butter

Bring this to a boil, remove from heat and let it cool slightly for just a few minutes, then while stirring the eggs, very, VERY, slowly add the water/butter mixture.  Be very careful to add slowly so you don’t “cook” the eggs.

Slowly add egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix well.  You will probably have to use your hands once the dough gets stiff.  Sprinkle flour on a flat work surface and place dough on the floured surface and knead for 10 minutes adding flour as needed but not so much that it will make the dough dry, just enough to keep the dough from feeling too sticky.  Spray bowl with Pam or grease bowl and place dough back in the bowl, cover with a clean, damp towel or cloth and let it rise for 1 hour in a warm place.   *One easy way of doing this is to place a sauce pan of boiling water in the bottom of your oven then setting the bowl of dough above it.  Do not turn on the oven, just close the door – this will give your dough a warm, moist place to raise.*

Remove the dough bowl from the oven and/or remove the towel and punch the dough down to remove any air pockets.

Divide into 6 or 8 equal sections, then divide one of those sections into 3 sections.  Roll them one at a time into long snake like strips about 18 inches long, be careful not to stretch the dough!! You want to make the strips a little thicker in the center and taper the ends.  This will give the final results a much prettier look.  Lay the strips side by side and starting in the middle braid the strips and tuck the ends under then lift it in the middle with one hand and the other lift the end and turn it around so that the loose ends are now facing you and continue the braid and again tuck those ends under.

Spray a baking sheet with Pam, lightly grease or place parchment paper on the sheet.  Place one braided loaf on sheet.   Repeat with all the sections until you have 6 to eight loaves of bread. 

Egg wash:

3 eggs

3 Tbsp cold water

1 ½ tsp of salt

Beat all together until smooth and use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer to the top and sides of each loaf.   Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Save the leftover egg wash.   Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Let the braids rise again for about 10 to 30 min.  You can tell when it’s ready to bake when you press your finger to the dough and it does not bounce back.  Bake for about 20 minutes then take it out and brush more of the egg wash down the center of the braid.  It will expand while baking and will be white if you don’t.  Turn your pan from front to back to allow more even baking.  The bread will need to bake for about another 20 minutes or until it makes a hollow sound when tapping on the bottom.  If it browns too fast then let it brown to your satisfaction, test for doneness and if needed tent some aluminum foil over the pan then back in the oven to finish baking.  Remove the foil the last 2 minutes of baking.

If you are a beginner, please be patient, this is a simple process but it does take some time and effort.   You may need to try it a few times to get a feel for the dough.  Your first attempts may not be the prettiest.  The hardest thing for me to learn was not to stretch the dough.