Challah
Challah is one of my favorite breads in the world, it is the perfect soft, pull-apart texture on the inside with a super nice crust! I grew up with challah bread, having it on holidays and, not going to lie, whenever I could find it. And so, when I learned to make it myself, I was absolutely addicted. The process for the bread is actually super simple, it just takes a little while to put together. You start by putting nearly all the ingredients in a bowl, then taking it through a few times kneading and resting, then bake! It does take like 4- 4 1/2 hours, but it is totally worth it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water + 2 tbsp
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup oil
- 2 tbsp honey
- 4 cups bread flour or all purpose
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp yeast active dry or instant
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds or poppy seeds (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, beat two of the eggs. Set aside.
- In a large bowl (or in the bowl/container inside a bread machine) add the ingredients in the following order: 1 cup water, the two beaten eggs, honey, oil, flour, salt, sugar, and yeast.
- If using a bread machine, place the container in and set it to the dough setting. Skip to step 8. If not, follow along.
- Without mixing, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 25 minutes. See blog post for reccomendations about where to rest your dough.
- After 25 minutes, stir the dough with a spoon until it mostly comes together. Dump it out onto your table or counter and knead by hand for 15 minutes, 12 minutes if using a stand mixer.
- Place the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and rest for 1 hour. The dough should be doubled in size.
- After 1 hour, punch down the dough to knock out the air and dump it back onto the table. Knead for about 2 minutes, then place back into the bowl, cover, and rest for an additional hour (until doubled in size).
- Dump the dough out of the bowl and punch it down. Split it into two sections, one that is 1/3 of the dough and one that is 2/3. Set aside the smaller section.
- Taking the 2/3 of the dough, divide it equally into three and shape each section into an 18"-20" log. Create a three-strand braid by pinching one of each of the ends of the strands together, then bring the right most strand over the middle strand, then the left most strand over the new middle strand, then the right, left, and so on.
- Continue until you've braided all the way down the three strands and then pinch the bottom ends together. Set aside.
- Taking the 1/3 section of dough, divide into three and shape each into a 24"-26" log. Create a three-strand braid like described for the 2/3 of the dough. You should end up with one wide, shorter braid and one thin, longer braid.
- Place the thinner longer braid on top of the shorter one, making sure the braid is hanging over equally on both ends. Tuck the ends underneath the shorter braid.
- Place the challah loaf onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and let rest for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. In a small bowl, beat together the remaining egg and the 2 tbsp water.
- Using a brush, gently brush the egg wash onto the challah. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds, or leave plain.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until it is a deep golden brown. Let it cool down at room temperature for at least an hour before slicing, then enjoy!
Notes
- Macros: 14 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat, 3 g protein
- See the blog post above for more detailed instructions about kneading, resting, and shaping the challah (step by step pictures included).