MOM'S CHALLAH
Some of the best holiday memories come from recipes passed down through the generations. Jenn Louis's Mom's Challah, a braided yeasted bread rich in Jewish tradition, is just that. But don't let holidays like Hanukkah limit you. Challah is good to have around all the time, whether to make French toast or to eat slathered with butter.
Provided by Jenn Louis
Categories side-dish
Time 3h30m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk yeast and water to fully dissolve yeast. Add sugar, orange juice, salt, melted butter, and 2 eggs, and whisk to combine. Then add raisins and flour. Attach a dough hook and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together and is not sticky. Mix an additional 2 minutes, the last 15 seconds on medium speed.
- Turn dough onto a work surface and knead a few times to bring it together, then place in a large buttered bowl. Place plastic wrap over dough, making sure to lightly tuck the plastic around the sides of the dough. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.
- The dough is ready when you can press your finger into the dough and it holds the indentation. Gently move the dough onto your work surface in one piece. Cut the dough into thirds and, without deflating the dough too much, roll each piece into a strand about 10 inches long. Lay the strands out parallel to each other, and pinch them together at one end. Pull the rightmost strand over the center one, then the left over the new center, alternating until you have a tightly finished braid and can pinch the end together. At this point, you can wrap the braid around itself to form a "turban" and seal the ends together. If it doesn't look right, just unbraid and try again! Place challah on a parchment-lined baking tray and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk the remaining egg with 2 tablespoons water in a bowl. Glaze the top and sides of the challah with this egg wash, then bake 35-45 minutes.
- To test if the challah is fully cooked, tap on its bottom-it should sound hollow. Let cool 30 minutes. Serve. (And remember, if you're eating it fresh, tear it apart with your hands!)
MOM'S CHALLAH, SECOND VERSION
My mom always made delicious challah each week, and I was one of the lucky beneficiaries of her talents. Then I became a teenager, and everything she did was inherently suspect. Sometime in those years (thank G-d, we outgrow them), I came across this recipe for challah and announced triumphantly to my poor mother that her challah had been replaced by a superior recipe. Demonstrating her endless patience and wisdom, she smiled and asked me to share the recipe with her. I did, and she showed both her superior mothering skills and her superior baking skills by making the recipe her own, creating more delicious and nurturing challah than I did. I don't know if it was the recipe or if it is the intention, the love, the blessings she put into it. Either way, here it is, from both of us. You can double this recipe if you want to make enough to take challah with a bracha. Enjoy!!
Provided by Sarah Chana
Categories Yeast Breads
Time 2h30m
Yield 3 loaves
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water and set aside. It will soon start bubbling.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, 2 cups of water, oil and salt. Mix.
- Add the eggs and the yeast mixture and mix well.
- Add 4 cups of flour, and mix well again. Add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead knead knead. (If you are doing this in a mixer, just knead in the mixer.) When it is smooth and elastic, it is done. You may need to add a little extra flour or water to get it to that earlobe consistency. You can add the raisins here if you'd like.
- Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let it rise until doubled in size.
- Punch down, knead another few minutes, and return to the bowl for another rising.
- Divide into thirds (by cutting with a knife; don't pull), and shape into loaves.
- Heat oven to 350°F
- Place each loaf in a prepared pan or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with the egg/water mixture, and sprinkle with seeds if you wish.
- Bake for about 45 minutes. When done, the loaves will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 2038.7, Fat 66.5, SaturatedFat 11.3, Cholesterol 352.5, Sodium 2457, Carbohydrate 308.6, Fiber 11, Sugar 51.5, Protein 48.5
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