Halla for Challah bread!

I have to tell you, I love this bread. Not only is it fun to make (even though I am not great at braiding), but it’s darn good. It’s good for sandwiches, it’s good for french toast, it’s good for grilled cheese sandwiches… I mean really, I could turn into the Bubba Gump of Challah bread and list every way you could eat it, but I won’t. LOL

Check out my YouTube video on how I made the Challah bread. Feel free to skip the video and go straight to the recipe below if you want. You don’t have to sing while you make this bread, but you certainly can!

Get to the good stuff: Challah Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 3 Tbsp sugar (for the yeast activation)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup oil or butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 yolk
• 2 tsp salt
• 4-1/2 cups of flour
• 2-1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

• Add the warm water to the bowl of your stand-mixer with the dough hook attachment, and sprinkle the active dry yeast into the water. Be sure the water is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. Just give it a cozy warm bath. To the yeast bath, add the 3 Tbsp. sugar to give those guys a little something to eat and let them chillax for a little bit to get nice and foamy.
• While you’re waiting on the yeast to activate, grab a separate mixing bowl and add your flour and salt.
• In another small bowl, add your three full eggs and one yolk. Reserve the egg white in yet another bowl because we will use that to make the bread shiny later. (I usually crack my eggs into a separate bowl just to ensure I don’t accidentally get shells into my main mixture.)
• Back to the yeast in the stand-mixer. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of oil or butter to the activated yeast. Add your eggs (not the egg white set aside). Begin mixing on low using the dough hook attachment. Add half of the flour mixture, let it mix, and then add the remaining flour. Let the machine mix/knead your dough for about 8 minutes until it comes away from the sides of the bowl. I like to knead it by hand for an additional 3 minutes. Shape into a rounded dough ball.
• Spray a large mixing bowl with cooking spray or coat with oil. Wipe the top of the dough ball in the bowl to coat the top of the dough with oil (so it won’t crack while rising). Flip it over so the top is up, and cover the bowl with clear plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 90 minutes.
• Shape the dough into a rectangle and divide it into 3 long strips. Once the strips are separated, roll them into longer 13-15 inch strands — just like making clay snakes when you were a kid!
• Braid the 3 strands. It’s helpful to kind of pinch the end you start with together. Braid the loaf, and then tuck the ends under on both ends to make it look pretty.
• Put the braided loaf on a baking sheet. Shape the loaf into a smooth shape. (because what it looks like now, it will bake like!) and sprinkle with flour on top.
• Let the loaf rise covered with a clean tea towel on the pan for 1 hour.
• Preheat the over to 400 degrees Farenheight.
• After the loaf has risen, mix the reserved egg white with a tablespoon of water and brush on the top of the loaf. Sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, then continue baking at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until it reaches 190 degrees internally.