Friday, March 07, 2008

Recipe Friday: Bread Machine Challah

I'm thrilled to introduce Ima Shalom's newest feature...Recipe Fridays.

Our crack team of Ima bloggers will help make your Shabbat preparations easy and delicious.

All recipes Ima-tested, toddler-approved!

So, without further ado...

Ima and Abba Shalom's Bread Machine Challah Recipe

Makes 2 challahs

1 cup water
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 packet yeast
4 cups flour

1. Put all ingredients in your bread machine pan. If you don't have a bread machine, buy one, they are the best thing ever. Put pan in the machine. Set the machine to the dough cycle. Press start.

At the end of the cycle (about 90 minutes)...

2. Remove dough from bread machine. Lightly oil a cookie sheet.

(Note: keep flour on hand to make the dough easier to work with)

3. Separate dough into 2 balls. Form the first ball into four strands. Place strands on the cookie sheet and join them at the top.

4. Braid! To make a four-strand braid lift up the rightmost strand, put it under two strands and over one strand. Repeat until you get to the bottom of the strands. Join at bottom.

5. Form second ball into 4 strands. Braid your second challah!

6. Let braided loaves rise in a warm place for about 1 hour (30 minutes if using rapid rise yeast).

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make an egg wash out of 1 beaten egg and about 1 TBS water. Use a pastry brush to cover challahs with egg wash.

8. Bake 25-30 minutes. When challahs are done they should be golden brown and make a hollow sound when tapped.

9. Let cool.

10. Enjoy!

Note: If you are making these challahs more than 12 hours in advance, they should be stored in the freezer for maximum freshness (place freshly baked, still-warm challahs in a brown shopping bag to avoid condensation and place bag in freezer). Remove from freezer 4-6 hours before serving.

Variations:

-For a healthier challah you can use 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 2 cups white flour.
-For a tasty twist mix craisins or raisins into the dough before forming strands.
-For a kid-pleasing treat put cinnamon and sugar or sprinkles on top of the challah before baking.
-For a super-sweet challah, add honey to dough ingredients and egg wash.

Finally...a big TODAH to Abba, whose challah recipe I gladly adopted when I married him.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is a great idea! Thanks for adding this.

A suggestion: Make a recipe tag and you can attach it to all the recipes that are added. Then you can (easily with blogger) add a link to the tag on the blog's tool bar (on the right) so people can easily click on it and see all the recipes. :)

Anonymous said...

Nice Recipe. I especially like the variations you suggested!

Marcela Sulak said...

I always love your challah!

mother in israel said...

I submitted this to the KCC, on my blog. Please consider submitting any other cooking related posts.

Manuela © said...

I might try doing this bread very soon :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this recipe! I've used it a few times now..though I've always doubled the salt, it just seems like so little compared to my other recipes...one day I'll be brave and try it just as written :) But in the meanwhile, it's a nice consistently beautiful recipe w/twice the salt :)

Anonymous said...

lovely!! I made it with a cup of barley flour and some oat germ, and it came out moist and lovely. I´m making another batch now with two cups of barley flour, and I´m sure it will be just as yummy!
Sarah

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this. For some reason, many of the recipes on the internet labeled as bread machine challah have dairy in them. (!)

Susabelle said...

I know this was posted years ago...but I wanted to thank you for one of the best-tasting challah bread recipes I've ever run across. I don't often have the million ingredients other recipes call for, but I have what I need for this. My daughters love this bread!

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to let you know that I found this recipe and have used it every other week! I make 2 and freeze one for the next week. It has won many a "challah tastings." I use the 1/2 whole wheat idea...and as I write this am minutes away from my making it for Rosh Hashanah. Thank you!

Lynne said...

I have only had a bread machine for a couple of weeks and have just made your Challah. Smells wonderful. Crumbs taste good.Eating it tomorrow

It rose perfectly but the braiding has disappeared. Any suggestions?

I followed the instructions (I did not knock it back after I took it out of the machine ) should I have done?

pattyerwin said...

I am trying your recipe with 1/8 tsp. ground saffron as I learned from an older recipe from the Syracuse, NY newspaper. Patty Erwin

pattyerwin said...

I am making your recipe with 1/8 tsp. ground saffron as I learned form an older recipe which I have lost.

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