Mama Hindas Challah
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110F)
- 2 3/4 teaspoons (1 package plus 2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon plus 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus extra for oiling the bowl
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt
- 1/3 cup raisins (optional)
- Vegetable oil or vegetable cooking spray, for greasing the baking sheet (or parchment paper)
- Egg wash: 1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- Poppy seeds (optional)
- Set aside 2 tablespoons of the flour.
- Place the remaining flour in the large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a flat paddle or a dough hook.
- Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in 1/4 cup of the warm water.
- Sprinkle the yeast over the water and add 1 teaspoon of the sugar.
- Using a fork, stir the water, yeast, and sugar together gently, keeping the mixture in the well (dont worry if a little flour becomes incorporated).
- Let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, the 1/4 cup oil, the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and the salt together with a fork.
- Add the egg mixture and the remaining 1/4 cup warm water to the flour mixture, and beat on low speed until incorporated.
- Then beat on medium speed until smooth and silky, 5 to 10 minutes.
- The dough should feel slightly sticky and, to quote Jeffrey Nathan in Adventures in Jewish Cooking, like a babys tush.
- If it is too sticky, add the reserved 2 tablespoons flour (or more if necessary), 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue to mix for a few more minutes.
- Oil a large bowl and place the ball of dough in it, turning the dough so it is oiled allover.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place until the dough has almost doubled in bulk, at least 1 hour.
- (Now to find a warm place: Mama Hinda used the top of her stove, but she had a pilot light.
- My garage on a summers day does the trick for me, but I have also used my oven, preheated at the lowest setting and then turned off.)
- When the dough has almost doubled, punch it down and knead it by hand for 1 to 2 minutes, incorporating the raisins, if using.
- For a braided challah, separate the dough into three equal portions and roll each portion out to form a strand 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches wide and about 12 inches long (lightly flour your work surface only if necessary).
- Braid the strands (see Notes).
- For a spiral Rosh Hashanah challah, roll the dough into a single rope about 34 inches long.
- Beginning at one end, wind the rope from the center of the spiral outward, keeping the center slightly elevated, like a turban.
- Tuck the end under.
- Lightly grease a baking sheet or, better yet, line it with parchment paper.
- Place the shaped dough on the prepared baking sheet, cover it with a slightly dampened cloth, and allow it to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash, and sprinkle it with poppy seeds, if using.
- Bake until the top is brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped with your fingers, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and allow it to cool completely.
bread flour, warm water, active dry yeast, sugar, eggs, vegetable oil, kosher, raisins, vegetable oil, egg
Taken from www.cookstr.com/recipes/mama-hindarsquos-challah (may not work)