Challah Bread
Challah, with its stunningly intricate braids, is more than just a feast for the eyes—it's a symphony of flavors and textures that delight the palate. This recipe yields a soft, delectable loaf, infused with the rich, aromatic notes of olive oil and vanilla. The meticulous braiding not only enhances its visual appeal but also imparts a unique texture to each bite, making every mouthful a memorable experience. The dough's ideal firmness ensures it is easy to shape and braid to perfection, allowing even novice bakers to achieve an impressive, bakery-worthy result.
This recipe is soft, tasty amazing of olive oil and vanilla flavour. Braided dough give more texture to your bread. Challah dough is stiff enough so the braids hold their shape perfect for braiding dough.
Yield:
10-15 servings
2 loaves 900g each
Supplies:
Mixing bowl large size
Scale
Standmixer
Ingredients:
2 tbsp active dry yeast
450 ml milk
1 tsp vanilla
45g sugar (3 tbsp)
1 tbsp salt (20g)
3 eggs
3 yolks
120ml oil
1000g flour
Steps:
Prepare the Milk at 80F
In a mixing bowl with a dough hook
add milk Add the dry yeast to the milk, sugar
and eggs
While the machine runs slowly adding flour and salt and vanilla
Mix for 10-15 or Until the dough comes off the side
Lets it rest for 2 hours or double in size. This recipe I made two big Loaves
Divide the dough equality to 2 approximate 900g each
Bake at 350 F 25-30 minutes
Braided Loaves:
Braids of one to six strands are commonly made.
Dividing the loaves into two equal parts.
Three Strand Braids:
For the first loaf, divide the dough into three pieces that are 300 g each.
Roll the pieces into dough balls and let them relax for 10–15 minutes so they are easy to work on.
After letting the dough rest, roll each dough ball out into an 18-inch long strand. The trand should be of uniform thickness from end to end
To braid them, first cross the three strands at their centres. This looks like a star fish with six legs
Start from the middle, fold the middle strand from the bottom over to the left
and pick up the middle strand move over to the right
Repeat the sequence until the strands have been completely braided
Proof for 40–50 minutes or until double in size
Eight Strand Braids:
For the eight strand braids, divide the dough into eight pieces, 112 g each , and again let them relax for 10–15 minutes so they are easy to roll out
Roll them out into eight 10-inch long strands. With these eight strand I will make four pairs of strands.
Prepare sesame seeds and cold water for dipping the strands as option. You can use poppy seeds or if you can’t eat sesame either poppy seeds you can skip this step Dip one strand from each pair into water and then roll the strand in sesame seeds.
Now that one part of the pair has been coated in sesame seeds, let’s braid them together
First, line the first pair in vertical
Then, cross the second pair over the first pair strand
Now put the third pair cross under the first pair.
Make sure Line them up nicely and close together
The last pair will go over the second pair and under the third pair.
Now it’s like an octopus with 16 legs , move the legs cross over and tucked under the dough
Proof for 50 minutes or until it double in size
Challah Eight Strand Braids
Egg wash before bake, one whole egg: beat egg with 3 tbsp of milk and a pinch of salt
For the three strands loaf, bake for 30–35 minutes
For the eight strands loaf bake for 40 minutes or longer depending on the oven
Turn the baking tray around halfway through baking.
It’s like you bake a turkey in the oven!
Challah Three Strand Braids
Enjoy braiding your bread and munching on your tasty challah!