Challah - Sabbath Bread
- 1/4 teaspoon saffron
- 1 1/8 cups water
- 5 7/8 cups wheat flour
- 9/16 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 2 tablespoons agave
- 3 eggs
- 5 5/8 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- poppy seeds
- 1 egg additional, beaten
- Preheat the oven to 190 Celsius.
- Toast the saffron slightly. Place in a bowl along with enough hot water to cover and set aside to steep.
- Heat the rest of the water and mix together with the agave and eggs. Stir in the cooled saffron mixture. Add the flour, salt, and yeast.
- Knead until a dough is formed. Add the butter, little by ittle, and continue to knead until smooth. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover and set aside to double in volume, approximately 90 minutes.
- Punch the dough down and allow to rise again until nearly doubled in volume, approximately 60 minutes.
- Place the dough on a flat surface and press into a rectangular shape. Divide into two equal parts, roll each into a loaf shape and divide each into three sections. Roll each section out into a long cylinder, approximately 5 centimeters thick. Set aside for a few minutes.
- Braid the three sections of dough together to form a braided loaf on a greased and floured baking tray. Brush with egg. Wait for a few moments and brush again.
- Sprinkle with poppy seeds and set aside to rise, for less than an hour.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a baking rack.
saffron, water, cups wheat flour, salt, yeast, agave, eggs, butter, poppy seeds, egg
Taken from www.yummly.com/recipe/Challah---Sabbath-Bread-632182 (may not work)