Everyone has seen the beautiful braided breads called challah. In Jewish culture, challah is eaten on sabbath, and for ceremonial occasions such as Passover and other Jewish holidays. Challah is soft and pulls apart like cotton candy. The shiny crust is achieved by painting egg whites over the dough immediately before baking. Challah is often sprinkled with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and/or other toppings to add color, crunch and texture.
I call today’s recipe Quick Challah because a traditional challah takes two days to make. This recipe makes only one loaf of challah, but you can easily double the recipe to make a 12-inch challah for a dinner party or other occasion.
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Ingredients
1/4 c warm water
3 tsp butter
2 tsp honey
1 egg
2 c white bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbl dry active yeast (not quick acting)
EXTRAS:
1 egg to make the egg wash
1/4 c water
OPTIONAL
1 tbl poppy seeds, sesame seeds, minced onion, etc.
Instructions
- Mix ingredients in the order listed, either in a bread machine, stand mixer, or a large baking bowl. Knead dough for about 10 minutes. Dough will be glossy, slightly sticky and elastic.
- … Alternate method is to dissolve the yeast in warm water until frothy, then add to dry ingredients.
- Let dough rest in a lightly greased bowl, covered loosely with a light cloth, for about 90 minutes, or until the dough roughly doubles in size.
- Remove dough from mixing bowl and place on counter. (I don’t dust the counter with flour, as this dough doesn’t stick and is easily shaped.) Wet fingers will help dough from sticking to your fingers as you work. Divide the dough into three even lumps (I use a kitchen scale to weigh each lump). Roll each lump into a rope, about 12 inches long, 1 inch in diameter. Dough can be resistant, so roll one rope about 6 inches long, then let it rest while you roll out the other lump. Do this back and forth until you’ve reached the same size for each rope.
- Lay ropes onto parchment paper side by side, then begin braiding them until you reach the end. Pinch the three ropes at each end together and fold under slightly. Cover loosely and let loaf proof for another 60 to 90 minutes. Dough will puff out beautifully.
- Whisk the egg and the water together to create a glaze. With a pastry brush, paint the egg wash over every exposed surface of the loaf, being careful to ensure you get some egg wash in the cracks between the braids. If you wish to sprinkle a topping, this is your time to do it now.
- Bake for 20 to 30 degrees, until golden brown. The bread will have an internal temperature 190°F when done and will have a nice hollow feeling when thumped on the base.
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