We love this recipe for any day of the week- it makes a lovely sandwich loaf, is easy to braid and will get you challah-ing for more after tearing through these loaves!
CHALLAH
- 1- ¼ cups 300g water
- 4 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- ½ cup 110g vegetable oil (olive or grapeseed are best)
- 6 cups 780g bread flour
- ¼ cup 50g sugar
- 3 Tbsps 21g honey
- 5 tsps 14g active dry yeast (2 packets)
- 3 tsps Kosher salt
Place the water, yeast, sugar, honey eggs, yolks and olive oil in the bowl of a stand mixer. If making this by hand, stir these around in a large bowl.
Add the flour and salt and mix with the dough hook on your mixer for about 8 minutes. If making by hand, start by mixing the dough with a wooden spoon and finish by kneading the dough on the counter for about 6 minutes.
Cover the dough and let it rise for about one hour, or place immediately in the fridge for 8-10 hours.
Once risen, take the dough (from the bowl or from the fridge) and split it in half (this makes two loaves). Choose your own adventure here- braid it, twist it or roll it up. Don’t sweat the small stuff, just make the braids and twists as tight as you can. Start with lightly, and we mean really lightly, oiling your counter (we prefer oil in place of flour to keep the dough from sticking too much). Place a piece of parchment paper or foil on two cookie sheets. Shape your breads and place them on the parchment or foil, brushing another piece of parchment or plastic with a touch of oil before covering them.
Proof the breads (just leave them out covered) for 1 hour or 1-1/2 hours if the dough came from the fridge. Preheat your oven to 375F. Make an egg wash by whisking 2 egg whites with ¼ cup water.
Once proofed, brush each loaf with the egg wash and let them sit 5 minutes. Bake each loaf between 25 to 30 minutes.