Open Recipe: challah bread

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Yield: 2.00 Each

Recipe Description

Challah is a egg and butter rich bread that is very similar to Brioche.

Ingredients

Method & Notes

1. Brush a large bowl with the melted butter.
2. Mix the yeast, water, and a pinch of sugar.
3. Allow to rest until creamy (about 5 minutes).
4. Melt the stick of butter in the milk.
5. Pour the milk mixture into a large bowl, and add the sugar, honey, and salt.
6. Once the milk has cooled stir in the yeast mixture.
7. Stir in the flour 1 cup at a time, stopping when the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl and is stiff.
8. Turn the dough onto a floured pastry board, and kneed until smooth and elastic. You can add a little flour as needed to make the dough workable.

Rising the dough

First rise

Form the dough into a ball and transfer to the buttered bowl. Brush with the remaining melted butter, and cover with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Second rise

Deflate the dough, cover it with the towel again, and allow to rise until doubled again. This time it should take a little less time, about 1 hour.

Forming the dough

Turn the dough back onto your pastry board, and cut into 2 pieces.

Cut each of these pieces into 3, and roll these into ropes about 16" long. Braid these.

Put the formed loaves on a baking sheet (line with parchment paper). Cover and allow to rise one last time for 40 minutes.

Brush the dough with the egg wash, and sprinkle with kosher salt. You can also optionally sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.

Baking the bread

1. Bake the loaves at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. The loaves will rise and the braids will expose new parts. Brush these with a little more egg wash.
2. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or so, until the loaves sound hollow when you tap on the bottom.

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