Sarah Gans (MS1)
Adapted from the New York Times recipe by Joan Nathan
Challah is a traditional Jewish bread eaten on the Sabbath and holidays. I grew up with it homemade every Friday night. I just read a book about a doctor who “prescribes” challah baking to her stressed out patients. I think she’s on to something… The process of baking bread is therapeutic. You can knead away the frustrations and watch the dough become lighter. And then the smell of the loaves in the oven is like a gentle hug after a long day.
Sometimes, I munch through a whole loaf with friends at the dinner table. But if there is any left over, it’s versatile. Enjoy with peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese, cream cheese and lox, as croutons or French toast.
Ingredients
1 ½ packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tbsps)
1 ¾ cup of lukewarm water
1 tbsp plus 1/2 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil, more for greasing bowl
5 eggs
1 tbsp salt
8 to 8 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling (optional)
Splash of vanilla extract (optional)
Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tbsp sugar in the lukewarm water.
Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Add flour one cup at a time, until the dough holds together. You can use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or damp towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or so. The dough may also rise in an oven with a proofing setting or one that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off, (or on top of the dryer of you’re doing laundry). At this point, you can also put the dough in the fridge, for as long as overnight, to slow the proofing process.
When dough has doubled in size, punch it down.
Now it’s time to braid! Divide the dough into “loaves”. This recipe makes 2 large, 3 medium, or 4 petite loaves. You can also make individual rolls.
Then, decide how you want to braid the challah. Divide each loaf into equal sections and roll each ball into a strand to braid. Braiding three strands is simplest and always looks classic. YouTube has some inspiration if you want to get fancy!
Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
Either freeze braided loaves or let rise another hour.
Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. I add a splash of vanilla for a little sweetness. You can sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds (or Everything Bagel seasoning!)
If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375F. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.
You can also bake and then freeze after it is cooled. Take the loaves out of the freezer a few hours before eating and then warming in the oven. Tastes fresh!
Bake in middle of oven for 25 to 40 minutes, or until golden and loaves sound hollow when knocked. Baking times varies depending on loaf size and oven. Cool loaves on a rack.
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