Challah Bread

CHALLAH BREAD Recipe (2 lg loaves)

Mix together 1/4 c warm water with 2 pkgs Yeast in very large mixing bowl.
Stir in: 1/2 c Vegetable Oil (not canola), 1/2 c Sugar, 2 3/4 c Water, and 2 Beaten Eggs

(will need 1 more Egg for the egg-wash after bread is risen/before baking) *

Add flour, 1 cup at a time (will need about 7 - 8 cups total) and mix until a soft dough forms. Knead dough for 10 min. Coat with oil, cover & let rise until doubled.

Punch down & knead again. Divide whole batch into two portions - Take 1 portion & divide this into thirds & each into a “rope” a couple of inches longer than a cookie sheet. Braid the 3 “ropes” together on a greased (or use parchment paper lined) cookie sheet. Pinch together at ends. Do the same with the second portion on a separate cookie sheet. Cover & let rise until doubled.

*Beat 1 Egg & brush onto the doubled loaves; then sprinkle with either sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

(OPTIONAL; may make “circular” loaves also; see picture above which is 1 recipe - the one without seeds is Cinnamon. For Cinnamon Challah: Flatten out the “ropes” and slit lengthwise - brush with butter & sprinkle with Cinnamon-Sugar, or just Cinnamon. Pinch the ropes back together & braid, then wind braid into a circle; pinch together as needed to secure, brush with the beaten egg & sprinkle with Cinnamon if desired).

(Another OPTIONAL way to use this dough is for “Babka” type Raisin Bread. I got the Filling Recipe via a “King Arthur’s Flour” “Cinnamon Babka Recipe & omitted the nuts; you could certainly leave them in if you want to. Instead of a heavy topping, I just brushed with egg-wash & sprinkled with Cinnamon-Sugar. When I did this, I divided the dough (after 1st rising), into FOUR parts; made 2 of the parts into smaller/narrower Sesame Seed Challah, and the other two parts I flattened into a rectangle - as for regular cinnamon/raisin bread, and then spread this filling on both; rolled up & baked for abt 25 - 35 min; watch it! at 350 degrees. NOTE: with the Challah loaves being narrower, I only needed to bake them for 20 - 22 min. ALSO: I let the cinnmaon loaves continue to raise while baking the Challah). FILLING: 1 c Brown Sugar, 6 tsp Cinnamon, 1 stick Butter; melted, 1 c Raisins, (optional; 1 c chopped pecans or walnuts)