Challah

My mom is Jewish, which of course means a lot that is completely extraneous to this blog. One very relevant result is that I know how to make the same challah that has been in my family since, well, forever. The Appelbaum (my mom’s maiden name) challah is not like the one you will find in fro gro, which is quite good. I’m warning you that it is not sweet and therefore goes very well with honey. I love it though and can eat (and have eaten) the entire bread in one sitting!

Ingredients:

1 package yeast

1 cup warm water

3 eggs (you only need the yolk for one of them)

2 Tbl oil

1 Tbl sugar

1 tsp salt

A little less than 4.5 cups flour

1. Mix the yeast with the warm water. Stir until dissolved

2. Add 2 eggs, oil, sugar, salt. Mix.

3. Here’s where it gets a little touchy-feely. Add about 4 cups of flour until you can knead the dough. Stop adding flour once the dough feels a little sticky.

4. Knead

5. Brush a little oil on top

6. Cover with a damp towel for 2 hours – 1 day

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

8. Knead. Add more flour if needed until the dough is just a little sticky.

9. Braid

10. Brush the egg yolk all over the top and sides

11. Let the bread rise for ½ an hour

12. Bake for about 20 minutes. I like to undercook mine so this could theoretically take anywhere from 15-40 minutes.

Remember – don’t be stingy on honey!
Photo by Dana Robinson