Challah Bread Recipes

Well, there isn't much use in having beautiful Challah Bread Covers without having the challah bread to go under the cover. And of course, with Pasach fast approaching us on the 30th of the month, you really should be prepared with some good recipes for Challah. Now most families will have their own interpretation of a good recipe. Some of these are closely guarded - though I'm not sure why. Bread is a staple and I think we should share these recipes for everyone to enjoy.

Anyway, if you don't already have a recipe for challah bread or if you normally purchase your challah, then here is a simple one for you to try at home.

Ingredients For Challah Bread
Two medium sized eggs and a little extra egg yolk to glaze.
About a quater of a cup of water
Two tablespoons oil
One and a half teaspoons of yeast (instant)
Three cups of strong white bread flour
Two tablespoons of caster sugar
One teaspoon salt

How to make Challah Bread
First, disolve your yeast and one teaspoon of sugar in a half a cup of warm water. Allow this to stand for a while to get foamy. This usually takes about ten minutes.
Now add in the other ingredients and mix very thouroughly. If you are mixing by hand then this will take you a while about 15 minutes or so. Using a hand mixer of some sorts is quicker and only takes about 7 minutes or so.
Now we let the dough rise by putting it in a large bowl that has been lightly oiled. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it sit for one to two hours in a warm place (the dough should double in size). Now punch it down to get rid of any air and leave it to rise again for a half hour.

Some women may wish to separate the Challah - this is a biblical commandment.

I know many people still use bread pans. In my family, we use the new fangled sillicone baking trays so there is less need for oiling. If you are using proper bread pans, oil them.
Divide up your dough and shape them into loaves by braiding the dough. Every woman knows how to braid right? Well a simple three strand braid should do it.
Leave the challah dough to rise in the pans until doubled in size. This should take about a half an hour. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit
Glaze your challah dough with the beaten egg yolk using an egg brush. Now we sometimes add a little sugar into the egg yolk as well. If you fancy, sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds over the top and at last, bake it for about 30 minutes.

There you go - a nice simple Challah bread recipe for you. Now all you have to do is fish out your Challah bread cover and pop it over the bread. And of course, try to keep the kids away until you've said Kiddush.
Glaze your