Braided Challah Bread

First of all, I hope your Thanksgiving was rockin' awesome! Mine was - and thanks to everyone who wished me a Happy Thanksgiving! You're all so kind.

Okay, so about this amazing recipe -
I had posted another Challah bread recipe a while back which my family really enjoyed. If you ask me which one I like better, I'd have to pick this one. It was really amazing! I found this recipe on one of several Betty Crocker's cookbooks I have - in case you didn't know, I am a huge fan of Betty Crocker's recipes. I even have a label called "Betty Crocker" under labels, check them out!

This challa bread is a traditional Jewish bread that is braided. It looks beautiful and tastes fantastic. It's healthy too. The recipe is fairly simple as well. Remember to check the water temperature for the yeast (too cold or too hot water will kill the yeast) and braid the dough like you'd braid your daughter's hair, or a barbie doll. :) Have fun with this recipe!!

Braided Challa Bread

Adapted from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 - 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 package regualr or quick active dry yeast (2 1/4 - 3 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
Vegetable oil
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons cold water
sesame seed or poppy seed


Directions:

Mix 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar and salt in large bowl. Heat water and 1 tablespoon oil until very warm (120-130 degrees F). Add water mixture to flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat in 1 egg until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough oto lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Lightly grease cookie sheet with pam or shortening.

Punch down dough and divide into 3 equal parts. Roll each part into a rope, 14 inches long. Place ropes close together on cookie sheet. Braid ropes gently and loosely; do not stretch. Fasten ends; turck ends under braid securely. Brush with oil. Cover and let rise in warm place 40-50 minutes or until double.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water; brush over braid. Sprinkle with sesame seed or poppy seed.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Check bread at 15 minutes and tent with aluminum foil if it seems to be browning too quickly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool.

Sook the Cook

Braided Challah Bread

First of all, I hope your Thanksgiving was rockin' awesome! Mine was - and thanks to everyone who wished me a Happy Thanksgiving! You're all so kind.

Okay, so about this amazing recipe -
I had posted another Challah bread recipe a while back which my family really enjoyed. If you ask me which one I like better, I'd have to pick this one. It was really amazing! I found this recipe on one of several Betty Crocker's cookbooks I have - in case you didn't know, I am a huge fan of Betty Crocker's recipes. I even have a label called "Betty Crocker" under labels, check them out!

This challa bread is a traditional Jewish bread that is braided. It looks beautiful and tastes fantastic. It's healthy too. The recipe is fairly simple as well. Remember to check the water temperature for the yeast (too cold or too hot water will kill the yeast) and braid the dough like you'd braid your daughter's hair, or a barbie doll. :) Have fun with this recipe!!

Braided Challa Bread

Adapted from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 - 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 package regualr or quick active dry yeast (2 1/4 - 3 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
Vegetable oil
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons cold water
sesame seed or poppy seed


Directions:

Mix 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar and salt in large bowl. Heat water and 1 tablespoon oil until very warm (120-130 degrees F). Add water mixture to flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat in 1 egg until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough oto lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Lightly grease cookie sheet with pam or shortening.

Punch down dough and divide into 3 equal parts. Roll each part into a rope, 14 inches long. Place ropes close together on cookie sheet. Braid ropes gently and loosely; do not stretch. Fasten ends; turck ends under braid securely. Brush with oil. Cover and let rise in warm place 40-50 minutes or until double.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water; brush over braid. Sprinkle with sesame seed or poppy seed.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Check bread at 15 minutes and tent with aluminum foil if it seems to be browning too quickly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool.

Sook the Cook

Braided Challah Bread

First of all, I hope your Thanksgiving was rockin' awesome! Mine was - and thanks to everyone who wished me a Happy Thanksgiving! You're all so kind.

Okay, so about this amazing recipe -
I had posted another Challah bread recipe a while back which my family really enjoyed. If you ask me which one I like better, I'd have to pick this one. It was really amazing! I found this recipe on one of several Betty Crocker's cookbooks I have - in case you didn't know, I am a huge fan of Betty Crocker's recipes. I even have a label called "Betty Crocker" under labels, check them out!

This challa bread is a traditional Jewish bread that is braided. It looks beautiful and tastes fantastic. It's healthy too. The recipe is fairly simple as well. Remember to check the water temperature for the yeast (too cold or too hot water will kill the yeast) and braid the dough like you'd braid your daughter's hair, or a barbie doll. :) Have fun with this recipe!!

Braided Challa Bread

Adapted from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 - 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 package regualr or quick active dry yeast (2 1/4 - 3 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg
Vegetable oil
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons cold water
sesame seed or poppy seed


Directions:

Mix 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar and salt in large bowl. Heat water and 1 tablespoon oil until very warm (120-130 degrees F). Add water mixture to flour mixture. Beat with electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat in 1 egg until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough oto lightly floured surface. Knead about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl and turn greased side up. Cover and let rise in warm place 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until double. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Lightly grease cookie sheet with pam or shortening.

Punch down dough and divide into 3 equal parts. Roll each part into a rope, 14 inches long. Place ropes close together on cookie sheet. Braid ropes gently and loosely; do not stretch. Fasten ends; turck ends under braid securely. Brush with oil. Cover and let rise in warm place 40-50 minutes or until double.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix egg yolk and 2 tablespoons water; brush over braid. Sprinkle with sesame seed or poppy seed.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Check bread at 15 minutes and tent with aluminum foil if it seems to be browning too quickly. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack; cool.

Sook the Cook

Challa Bread

Challa bread (pronounced as "hallah") is a specially braided bread eaten by many Ashkenazi and by most Sephardic Jews on the Sabbath and holidays. It was our first experience with this tasty, yummy bread and it was a big hit! We shared it with my sister-in-law's fam and they loved it, too. It is so simple to make. It's a perfect bread for Sunday dinners. I always try to make something special and fantastic for Sunday dinners. A lot of people fear that they are not really good at making yeast bread. But the key is the water temperature for the yeast to dissolve. Also, kneading... Be patient with the kneading process. I usually knead with my hands. I've used kitchen aid for kneading dough and it works pretty good. But I just like hand-kneaded bread better. The dough is more fluffy and soft that way, I think.


Challa Bread
Adapted from The Sister's Cafe

Ingredients: (Makes 3 loaves)

3 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 cups warm water (110-130 degrees F)

1/2 cup sugar

scant tablespoon salt

1/2 cup canola oil

7-8 cups flour

4 or 5 large eggs


Direction:

Add water to mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Then sprinkle sugar, then salt. Let stand about 10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy and frothy.

Add oil and 3 cups of flour. Mix together with a rubber spatula. Add eggs. Mix well. Then add 4 cups of flour. Mix. Add more flour as needed – usually 1 ½ to 2 cups more.

Hand knead the dough about 3-5 minutes or until the dough becomes elastic. Let rise at least 1 hour.

Separate into 3 large pieces or 36 small rolls. Divide each piece into three more pieces. Roll into snakes and braid together. Let rise for about 1-2 hours or until almost double in size. Then brush with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 Tb water) over bread. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if desired.

Bake at 350° until done (16-18 minutes)

Challa Bread

Challa bread (pronounced as "hallah") is a specially braided bread eaten by many Ashkenazi and by most Sephardic Jews on the Sabbath and holidays. It was our first experience with this tasty, yummy bread and it was a big hit! We shared it with my sister-in-law's fam and they loved it, too. It is so simple to make. It's a perfect bread for Sunday dinners. I always try to make something special and fantastic for Sunday dinners. A lot of people fear that they are not really good at making yeast bread. But the key is the water temperature for the yeast to dissolve. Also, kneading... Be patient with the kneading process. I usually knead with my hands. I've used kitchen aid for kneading dough and it works pretty good. But I just like hand-kneaded bread better. The dough is more fluffy and soft that way, I think.


Challa Bread
Adapted from The Sister's Cafe

Ingredients: (Makes 3 loaves)

3 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 cups warm water (110-130 degrees F)

1/2 cup sugar

scant tablespoon salt

1/2 cup canola oil

7-8 cups flour

4 or 5 large eggs


Direction:

Add water to mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Then sprinkle sugar, then salt. Let stand about 10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy and frothy.

Add oil and 3 cups of flour. Mix together with a rubber spatula. Add eggs. Mix well. Then add 4 cups of flour. Mix. Add more flour as needed – usually 1 ½ to 2 cups more.

Hand knead the dough about 3-5 minutes or until the dough becomes elastic. Let rise at least 1 hour.

Separate into 3 large pieces or 36 small rolls. Divide each piece into three more pieces. Roll into snakes and braid together. Let rise for about 1-2 hours or until almost double in size. Then brush with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 Tb water) over bread. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if desired.

Bake at 350° until done (16-18 minutes)

Challa Bread

Challa bread (pronounced as "hallah") is a specially braided bread eaten by many Ashkenazi and by most Sephardic Jews on the Sabbath and holidays. It was our first experience with this tasty, yummy bread and it was a big hit! We shared it with my sister-in-law's fam and they loved it, too. It is so simple to make. It's a perfect bread for Sunday dinners. I always try to make something special and fantastic for Sunday dinners. A lot of people fear that they are not really good at making yeast bread. But the key is the water temperature for the yeast to dissolve. Also, kneading... Be patient with the kneading process. I usually knead with my hands. I've used kitchen aid for kneading dough and it works pretty good. But I just like hand-kneaded bread better. The dough is more fluffy and soft that way, I think.


Challa Bread
Adapted from The Sister's Cafe

Ingredients: (Makes 3 loaves)

3 tablespoon active dry yeast

2 cups warm water (110-130 degrees F)

1/2 cup sugar

scant tablespoon salt

1/2 cup canola oil

7-8 cups flour

4 or 5 large eggs


Direction:

Add water to mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Then sprinkle sugar, then salt. Let stand about 10 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy and frothy.

Add oil and 3 cups of flour. Mix together with a rubber spatula. Add eggs. Mix well. Then add 4 cups of flour. Mix. Add more flour as needed – usually 1 ½ to 2 cups more.

Hand knead the dough about 3-5 minutes or until the dough becomes elastic. Let rise at least 1 hour.

Separate into 3 large pieces or 36 small rolls. Divide each piece into three more pieces. Roll into snakes and braid together. Let rise for about 1-2 hours or until almost double in size. Then brush with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 Tb water) over bread. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds if desired.

Bake at 350° until done (16-18 minutes)