A light egg wash before baking makes for a shiny, golden-brown finish on these braided loaves. (Kayte Young/WFIU)
Challah is a light, enriched dough that is enjoyed on the Sabbath and on most Jewish Holidays, such as Rosh Hashana and before and after fasting for Yom Kippur.
Last week, before the New Year celebrations, Muddy Fork Bakery cranked out 86 special orders of these special loves for local customers.
You can hear how it's made on this week's episod of Earth Eats.
Note: this recipe uses weights, you can find conversions here.
Crack 2 eggs, scramble, and weigh out 86 grams. Save the rest of the egg for egg washing. If
you add more or less egg than 86 grams you can adjust the water to compensate: be sure egg and
water total 215 g.
Dissolve yeast in water, then add eggs and all the other ingredients and mix until evenly incorporated.
Set aside, covered, for about 3 hours.
“Fold” the dough 3 times over the 3 hours. Each “fold” consists of pulling
the dough from the edge of the bowl into the middle and pressing down lightly, rotating the bowl
slightly, and repeating until you’ve worked your way all the way around the bowl once or twice.
Divide the dough into four 6-oz pieces. Roll strands to 16-24 inches.
Lay each pair in a cross on the table and braid all four ends together in a four-strand braid (there are many ways to do this-Eric shares instructions on the October 04, 2019 episode).
Let proof until nearly doubled.
Brush the surface of the dough with scrambled egg, sprinkle with
poppy seeds if desired, and bake at 380 for about 20-25 minutes.
Yield: This recipe makes two 12 oz. loaves of challah
