Challah Bread
Challah is a wonderful egg rich bread that just keeps on giving. When it is warm and fresh, eat slices with butter and honey, or mustard with thin slices of roast beef. The following days make terrific French Toast, and providing you still have a bit left, make Bread Pudding Laced with Rum.
Ingredients
- 4 cup Bread flour (440g)
- 1/4 cup Barley flour (32g)
- 2 tsp Salt (12g)
- 1 1/2 tsp Instant yeast (5g)
- 7 floz Whole milk (225ml)
- 2 Whole eggs
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1/4 cup Vegetable oil (60g)
- 1 tbsp Honey (20g)
- 1 tbsp Sesame or poppy seeds for the top of the bread
Instructions
- Best to use your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the bread flour, barley flour, salt and yeast. Turn on medium speed for about 30 seconds to combine all the ingredients
- Mix the milk, whole eggs, egg yolk, honey and oil and heat (the microwave works really well) to a temperature between 90 and 100 degrees. Save the egg white in a small bowl, as you will use this as an egg wash to brush on the top of your loaf just before putting it in the oven.
- Pour the milk/egg mixture over the flour. Mix on medium speed for a minute, then stop and scrape down the sides to incorporate all of the flour.
- Continue to mix at medium speed until the dough has come away from the sides of the bowl and formed a ball of dough on the bread hook.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and silky. Place the dough in a large warm bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot to come to its first rise. Depending on the temperature, this should take about one hour.
- After the first rise, turn the dough out once again on a lightly floured work surface, Cut the dough into three equal parts, and roll each into a rope of dough about 14" long. Gather the three pieces and pinch them together at the top. Now, take the "ropes", place them on your baking sheet that you have lined with parchment paper and braid them together as you would braid hair. Once you've completed the braid, pinch the bottom pieces together.
- Cover with a light weight tea towel, or piece of plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for the second rise. This should take about another 45 minutes to an hour.
- Whisk the egg white you saved until it is foamy. When the Challah has risen, lightly brush the top with the beaten egg white and sprinkle the sesame or poppy seeds across the top.
- Bake in a preheated 375° degree oven for about 40 minutes. When baked it should be golden brown, and if you tap the bottom, it should have a hallow sound. Allow to cool a bit before slicing.