I may not be a hollaback girl, but I am a challah bread girl! This recipe makes two humongous braided loaves – one to eat and one to share! And, since it’s designed for the bread machine, it’s as easy as it is tasty. Left-over challah also makes fantastic French Toast. Es gezunterheyt!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups Warm Water
- 2 Large Egg Yolks
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/3 cup Cooking Oil
- 1/2 cup White Sugar
- 4-1/4 cups Bread Flour
- 1-1/4 tbsp. Active Dry Yeast
- 1 Large Egg, beaten
- Sesame Seeds, Poppy Seeds, or both!
Directions
- Place water, egg yolks, salt, oil, sugar, flour, and yeast into pan of bread machine in order listed.
- Select Dough cycle and press Start.
- Thank the gods of flour and yeast that you have a bread machine.
- When Dough cycle is finished, line baking sheets with foil or parchment paper, and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and divide into two equal pieces.
- Split each of the two pieces into three sections of equal size.
- Roll each section into three long, snaky strands.
- Braid the strands together, connecting the ends (use wet hands to stick the ends together if your dough is stubborn) and turn the ends under the loaf.
- Repeat with the second piece of dough to create two large loaves.
- Allow the loaves to rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place, until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brush both loaves with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sesame and/or poppy seeds.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes until dark golden brown.
- Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack.