#i usually stick with three strands because i bake one challah because. it makes the most sense

[shalom-iamcominghome]

Screw it, challah poll

Please only vote if you have baked or routinely bake challah. I've heard people say they use anything from three to five or more and everybody is always so passionate explaining why and I just love it

[syrupwit]

I wanted to share with you a recipe for making one loaf of my favorite challah, since it is slightly different from the original recipe.

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ETA2: There was a different ETA here, but it's nobody's business, so it's gone. Also, I've switched to only using honey in this, but you can use a mix of honey and sugar and it's fine! Or only sugar.

Making this challah is the highlight of my week.

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The original recipe is Adeena Sussman's (or I guess Uri Scheft's!) Honey and Olive Oil Challah. I add more liquid, because for some reason my dough tends to get stiffer faster most of the time. Perhaps this will change in the summer. (ETA3: It didn't.)

I am very much not an experienced baker except when it comes to, like, cookies, so take all of this with a spoonful of salt lol.

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INGREDIENTS

For Proofing Yeast:

1-2/3 tsp active dry yeast (approximate)

2-3 tsp honey (or sugar)

1/3 cup water heated to 105°F

Other Ingredients:

1/4 cup water that is just warmish, no need for exact temperature

1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) honey

2 or 3 Tbsp olive oil

1 egg for baking

1 tsp salt

about 2-1/4 cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for kneading and braiding (can also substitute whole wheat flour for about 1 cup of the baking flour)

Filling (Optional):

Anything you want to put in the challah -- cinnamon sugar, a bit of jam, chocolate babka filling if you're going crazy, whatever. Keep in mind that it may need to cook longer if there's a thicker filling.

Egg Wash & Topping (Optional):

1 egg yolk for egg wash (optional)

Sesame and/or poppy seeds, or some other topping (optional)

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PROCEDURE

Stage 1:

Proof the yeast: Mix yeast and 2-3 tsp honey (or sugar) in 105-degree water. It doesn't have to be exactly 105 degrees -- it can be anywhere between 100 and just under 115 degrees -- but 105 degrees is best. Let sit in a warm place for 10-15 minutes or until foamy and bubbly.

Stir remaining honey/sugar, warmish water, oil, and egg into the yeast mixture.

Slowly stir in flour until a dough forms. This shouldn't be sticky, but shouldn't be so stiff that it is hard to work with. If the dough is soft and smooth and does not stick to a clean fingertip, it is probably fine.

Lightly flour a surface. I don't have a big board, so I lay some paper towels flat on a table and put a couple of sheets of wax paper over them, then tape down the edges of the wax paper. I use the paper towels for cleanup later. (ETA4: Switched to just cleaning the table and using wax paper. It's fine.)

Take out the dough on the surface and knead. Sussman recommends the following technique: "use your palms to push and tear the top of the dough away from you in one stroke, then fold that section onto the middle of the dough. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat the process 15 times. Tuck the ends of the dough underneath to form a ball." I usually do this about 60 times, instead of 15, because I have tiny hands and weak arms. More repetitions = lighter, better-tasting challah. You can see/feel how the dough starts to become elastic and smooth.

Return the kneaded dough to the mixing bowl. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour or drizzle it with oil. Cover.

Let the covered dough rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes or until doubled. If the kitchen is cold or you want to hasten the rise, you can heat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit for two minutes pre-rise, turn it off, and then put the dough in. You can also let the dough rise in the refrigerator for five to 24 hours.

Stage 2:

Prepare another lightly floured surface. You might also want to get out a baking pan, covered in parchment paper if you have it and lightly greased if you don't.

Retrieve the dough. Uncover. Punch down to de-gas.

Since this recipe only makes one challah, just divide the dough into the number of strands for the braid you want to make. There are many options; I'll just discuss the ones I am familiar with. The three-strand is an easy classic. The four-strand, in my opinion, is the most cost-effective in terms of effort vs. results. The five-strand is my current favorite because it looks like a fishtail braid or idk a sheaf of barley, but I have trouble making it even. The six-strand is like the four-strand, but wider, more complicated, and more mysterious. There are many other options... If you haven't made a braided bread before, I would recommend doing a four-strand because it's easy and pretty and has good dimensions.

Make the strands. It's best to make equal strands, and you can even use a kitchen scale to check that you're using equal amounts of dough. You can make one long rectangle and then cut it into ropes, or you can roll out strands between your palms (better for dough that rose in the fridge and is still cold/hasn't been brought to room temperature), or you can roll out the dough with a rolling pin and then roll up like a jelly roll (better for room-temperature dough or dough that rose in a warm place). If you have a filling that you want to put in the challah, the jelly roll method is best IMO because you can roll up the strands with stuff in them.

Braid.

Set your braided challah on your baking sheet, OR package the challah and freeze immediately for later baking.

Let rise in a warm place for about 30-50 minutes. (The "poke test" for second rise when it comes to shaped breads is: poke the dough assertively, and if it springs back immediately, it needs more time to rise; if it fills half back in, it's good to go; if the indentation remains, you let it rise too much and you have about five seconds before it starts sagging. It's better to let it rise too little than too much.)

Stage 3:

If you froze a braided, unbaked challah that you are now defrosting to bake: Take it out of the fridge about three hours before baking. Let come to room temperature for two hours and then let rise in a warm place for 30-50 minutes. (If you forgot to take it out in time and are now having a challah emergency, you can defrost it at 50% power in the microwave for two minutes and then let rise in a warm place for 30-50 minutes.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare the egg wash: beat 1 egg yolk. You can do the whole egg, but there will be egg left over.

Using a pastry brush or paper towel, dab your challah with a bit of egg wash.

Just before baking, apply the egg wash again, and then sprinkle with your desired topping -- sesame seeds; poppy seeds; oats; crushed nuts; sprinkles or nonpareils; a crumb topping made from 1/4 cup sugar + 1/4 cup flour + about 2 tbsp oil and maybe a bit of vanilla or cinnamon or something; idk cinnamon sugar, turbinado sugar, something. But nothing is also fine.

Bake in your preheated oven for 25-35 minutes. It may take longer, especially if you added a filling.

The high temperature means that this challah browns super fast, FYI, so it may look burnt before it's done. If you can turn it over and tap on it, and it sounds hollow and the top isn't doughy, it's probably done. Slightly too done is better than underbaked. You can also check the temperature -- it should have an internal temperature of about 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Let cool completely before the evening/when you plan to eat.

This process takes three to four hours if you do it all in one day. Each stage takes about 30-45 minutes by itself.

I am constantly refining my version of this recipe! It's fun to make with different types of honey or olive oil. I am going to make it tomorrow morning and freeze the braided challahs for baking on Friday.