Challah Bread

I must admit that despite all of my interest in the Yiddish language, all of the amazingly cool Jewish friends I have (not to mention the fact that my dissertation committee is almost 100% Jewish), and a very active childhood spent watching The Nanny, I am not Jewish.

But I can’t help myself, I just love the Jewish people.  I love their fantastic literature, their incredibly strong mindset and rich culture, and of course, their Challah.

I also love the way Ella Fitzgerald sings her song “Manhattan” only to emphasize the word “goil” instead of girl.

Can I get a Challah from all the goils in the house?!

This is a fun culture indeed.

Today I share with you my Episcopalian-meets-Jewish cooking attempts at Challah Bread.   This bread is easy, warm, bouncy, and so delicious.  The 6-thread braid is impressive (albeit somewhat complicated), but can easily be done with the help of a food blogger and goil (directions below).

Challah Bread (Egg Bread)

This recipe is adapted from Deb over at Smitten Kitchen (here).  My recipe follows her’s closely with the addition of bread flour instead of all purpose.

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast

* 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar

* 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil (I used olive); more for greasing the bowl

* 5 large eggs (1 for the egg wash & 4 for the dough)

* 1 tablespoon salt

* 8 to 8 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used bread flour)

OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup raisins or poppy seeds to garnish

1.) In a large bowl dissolve yeast in 1 3/4 cup lukewarm water and 1 tablespoon sugar.  Whisk to combine and wait five minutes.

2.) Whisk oil into yeast mixture and beat in eggs one at a time.  (I used my standing Kitchenaid Mixer and its whisk attachment.)

3.) Whisk in remaining sugar, salt, and flour.  The last bit of the flour may be difficult for a Kitchenaid (this is an extraordinary amount of dough), but it “can be done” as Deb says.  Just whisk until the dough begins to hold and then turn dough over onto a floured surface.  Knead until smooth.

4.) Meanwhile, clean Kitchenaid bowl and grease down with olive or vegetable oil.  Transfer kneaded dough ball to bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Allow dough to rise for 1 hour.  After 1 hour, punch down dough and allow to rise for another 30 minutes.

5.)  After the dough has risen, you can knead in the raisins (if using them).  If not, transfer dough to a flowered surface and cut in half.  Cut each half into thirds.  Now, cut each third in half.  You should have 12 small dough rounds.

6.) Create Challah Threads: take each dough ball and rub back and forth between your hands so that it elongates due to gravity.  Continue until thread is 12 inches long and consistent in thickness.  Repeat for all threads.

7.) Braiding the Challah: each loaf requires 6 threads and are braided in a “6 thread braid.”  I’m not going to lie, this process is confusing and intimidating at first (especially to a non-Jewish food blogger who has never made Challah before), so you’ll want some Jewish wisdom and guidance.  I used an extremely helpful instructional video on Youtube by a food blogger named Maya Sophia.  You can see her technique here.

Like anything that requires work, it is worth it.  This Challah is GORGEOUS once you’ve braided it properly:

8.) Wash dough with 1 beaten egg (reserving the second half for a second egg wash before you put it in the oven).  Allow dough to rise for one more hour.  Preheat oven to 350F and bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and done all the way through.

Makes 8 servings.

–Helana Brigman

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