Challah Bread – Simple Recipe
I was always impressed by the look of braided challah bread since it looked complicated to create out of dough. I enjoy challenging myself, so I decided to make one of my own and share my experience with all of you.
I watched several Utube videos to learn the braiding technique using 4 strands of dough (not as easy as using only 3 strands). I made some plain soft dough out of flour and water to practice which was an excellent idea, and I would highly recommend this before working with the actual challah dough. Everything looks easy when someone else does it, but it is a whole different experience when we have to do it.
Here are the beginning steps of braiding, then from here on the process repeats to the end of the strands. For a more uniform size of the challah, you tuck it under at the top and the bottom of the loaf.
Working with yeast-raised dough is fun, but the amount of flour needed may differ on certain days, depending on the humidity in the air. That is why I mentioned in my directions that sometimes you might need to add as much as 1/2 cup of additional flour to get the correct dough consistency. On my first try, I used exactly 4 cups of flour, but on my second baking time on a rainy day, my dough was way too soft so I added another 1/2 cup of flour to get it just right for kneading.
This recipe yields 1 large (18 inches long) challah or two smaller ones (13″ each).
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 cups bread flour)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 1/4 tsp. Rapid Rise dry yeast(1 packet - ¼ oz)
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract, Cognac or other liquor
- 1 tsp. lemon zest (½ lemon)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup lukewarm water
- 2 Tbs. whole milk or sweet cream for basting
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast.
- In another bowl, beat eggs, then mix in oil and water, lemon zest and vanilla extract or liquor.
- Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing with a spoon until a dough forms. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic, or in a mixer with a dough hook for 20 minutes.
- If the dough is too sticky to knead, you might need to add a little more flour, even up to a ½ cup.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough, then divide into equal parts and braid as desired (I used 4 dough strands for braiding).
- Place greased parchment paper on a large cookie sheet (11x18), then place the dough strands and braid it. If you wish you can braid the challah on a lightly floured work surface then gently transfer it onto the baking pan lined with greased parchment paper. Gently tuck the ends under the challah, cover with a cotton tea towel, and let rise for another hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F(180°C). Using a pastry brush, baste to top of the challah with milk or cream.
- Bake for 28– 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Use a cold stick of butter and smother the top of hot challah to create a soft crust (optional).
- Cool on a wire rack before slicing.