Challah Bread
Every time I make bread at home, I instantly proclaim that it’s so good I should really do this more often. And then it’s usually a few months before I actually get around to making bread again.
If you have never made bread at home, this Challah bread would be a good thing to start with. The dough was very forgiving and easy to work with. A coworker of mine came over to make this bread with me on Sunday. We were having a French toast party at work and decided that homemade Challah would be much better than store-bought.
My coworker had never made bread before, but like I said, this dough was very easy to work with. Like most breads, this does require some time with all the rising and waiting. But that’s ok, we enjoyed watching some cheesey chick flick while our bread was doing it’s thing.
Everyone at work was impressed that we made the bread from scratch. And of course, it made some great French toast!
One Year Ago: Strawberry and Spinach Salad
Three Years Ago: Goat Cheese and Spinach Turkey Burgers
Challah Bread
Yield: 2 loaves
Ingredients:
1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 eggs
1 Tbsp salt
8 to 8 1/2 cups flour
Directions:
In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for it, though it can be done.)
Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves. To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.
If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.
Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. (If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take it out when it hits an internal temperature of 190 degrees.) Cool loaves on a rack.
Recipe as seen on Smitten Kitchen
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
Oh yum! Those look terrific. Congratulations on a successful first challenge and welcome to the Daring Bakers. Great job 🙂
-jen at use real butter
You bread looks great! Congrats on overcoming your fear of yeast.
Congrats on your first challenge!! Looks great!
1st, congrats on your 1st DB challenge! 🙂 2nd, congrats on overcoming your fear of yeast! i recently overcame this fear and am so glad i did! 🙂
Congratulations on your 1st challenge! Your bread looks so great!
Great looking bread! Congrats on becoming a daring baker. Isn’t it fun?
you’ve inspired me to get over my fear of yeast as well!
Great job on your first challenge and on overcoming your yeast fear! Welcome to Daring Bakers!
Welcome to the DBs! You did a “wicked awesome” job!
wow.. looking at your bread really reminded me of how this first challenge was for me.
Great looking buns.
Bravo on your first challenge! You did fantastic! I loave how cozy the loaf looks, it must be great for sandwiches, and congrats on beating the yeast demons to a pulp this month!!
Wow, what a success! All looks great
You did a wonderful job on your breads. Congratulations on your first DBer challenge!
Natalie @ Gluten A Go Go
Nice job! Love the step by step photos!
See yeast is not as scary as you though it was, huh?
Congratulations on your first challenge. All of your goodies look wonderful!!
You did such a wonderful job on your first challenge!! Especially with accidentally adding the larger amount of potatoes.
I loved your step by step photos and your bread looks divine. Great job in telling the yeast who’s boss !!
Your bread looks great. I loved your post…funny and detailed! You succeeded with using yeast – great job! Congrats on your first DB challenge!
Hey, your breads look great! Thank goodness your first challenge with us wasn’t baked yeast jello … gross. Anyway, your rolls especially look nice and tender torn in half, just crying for butter. Job well done!
Congrats on your first challenge! Carrying heavy baking ingredients lets you burn calories so you can enjoy your creations! Yippee!
Your bread turned out perfect! and the pictorial post is an added bonus! Super first challenge!
Glad you showed that yeast who is boss!
Nice job and good for you for getting right to it!
xoxo
Gabi
Congratulations and welcome. It lookw from here like you successfully tamed the yeast beast! And thanks for the measuring-cup-in-the-colander tip!
your bread looks great, your slashes on the loaf are so perfect!
I must say, for someone who is fearful of yeast you really came out on top and produced both a stellar loaf and rolls. Great job!
Welcome to the DBers!
Christina ~ She Runs, She Eats
What a success story! From the storm to conquering of yeast … you did it all! Way to go on your first challenge!
This dough looks like it makes a REALLY good loaf. Welcome to DB’s! Nice job.