Challah II, Part 1 Of 2

* Exported from MasterCook *

CHALLAH II, PART 1 OF 2

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 2 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads Jewish
Usenet

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
-----DOUGH-----
1/2 oz Yeast (active),
-dry (2 packages)
2 c Water, warm
4 ts Salt
1/2 c Sugar, granulated
3 lg Eggs
3/4 c Vegetable oil
-(up to about 1/4 cup
-more, to taste)
9 c Flour, all-purpose
-(more if needed)
-----GLAZE-----
1 lg Egg
Sesame or poppy seeds

Mix yeast in warm water. Let sit 5 minutes. In a
large bowl combine salt, sugar, eggs and oil. Add
yeast mixture. Slowly add flour, stirring until not
too sticky. When the dough becomes too thick to stir,
turn it out onto a floured board and knead, adding
flour as necessary. Scrape the working surface with a
plastic dough spatula from time to time, to keep a dry
skin from forming on it. You may find that you need
more flour, but don't add too much more, or the dough
will become heavy. Knead until the dough is smooth and
elastic (about 10 minutes).

Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled
large bowl, turning to coat the dough with oil. A
ceramic bowl is best. Cover the bowl with a clean
cloth and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise
for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. After the
dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 6
balls. Let the dough balls sit for 5 minutes, covered.

Keeping dough balls covered while working, remove a
ball and roll it between your hands (or on working
surface) into a cord about 1 inch wide by about 20
inches long. The dough is quite elastic, making it
nicely workable, yet also tending to make it shrink
back slightly after being lengthened. I find it best
to lengthen it in a series of passes. Form 3 cords
this way, and then start from the middle and braid
them into a single loaf. Tuck the ends under. It's a
little harder to figure out how to start braiding from
the middle, but the loaves come out more even and
attractive that way. Don't pull the cords while
braiding. Place the loaf on a lightly oiled baking
sheet, and cover it with a cloth while you form the
other loaf. Keep the loaves well apart on the baking
sheet, since they will expand a lot. Cover the loaves
and place again into a warm, draft-free place to rise
for 45-60 minutes.

After the loaves have risen, gently brush the tops
with beaten egg using a soft brush, and then sprinkle
with the seeds. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30
minutes, or until golden brown.

: Continued in Part 2

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -