Homemade Challah Bread -- Holla

At our house, there is typically at least one freshly baked good roaming around the kitchen. Most often it’s a loaf of our favorite peasant bread or some cookies, but occasionally, when we’re feeling adventurous, other goodies make an appearance. Like last weekend, when I made my attempt at croissaints (recipe to follow).

I saw a recipe for salted caramel upside down challah French toast casserole on Smitten Kitchen and fell in lust. And like any naturally sane person, my immediate next thought was to make fresh, homemade challah bread for the French toast casserole. I dreamt of waking up to a snow day where I would be working from home and baking my indulgent French toast casserole.

However, as the challah bread baked while I was cooking this delicious Dijon and brandy beef stew and the snow forecast dwindled, it became immediately clear that I would be commuting to the office, the casserole would not be made that night and we would be consuming the bread with dinner. The challah bread was so simple and fuss-free to make. I have a horrid tendency to loosely follow directions and get entirely distracted mid-project. Hence, there’s a pound of unbaked croissant dough in my freezer right now. I also woke up early to make a few slices of French toast with the challah bread and still make it on time to the bus.

I also really like saying challah bread, hollaaaa.

Recipe adapted from The Kitchn

Ingredients:

2 tsp active dry or instant yeast

1 cup (8 ounces) lukewarm water4 - 4 1/2 cups (20 - 22 ounces) all-purpose flour1/4 cup white granulated sugar2 tsp salt3 large eggs1/4 cup neutral-flavored vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Sprinkle dry yeast and a generous pinch of sugar over warm water and dissolve. Let it sit for a few minutes after stirring to combine until it forms a light and frothy layer on top.
2. Mix 4 cups flour, sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl, creating a well in the center. Pour 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk (reserve matching egg white for egg white wash) and oil into the well. Stir with a whisk pulling a small amount of flour from the edges of the well to create a slightly thickened dough in the center surrounded by a ring of flour.
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the egg and oil mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until combined and difficult to handle.
4. Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed if it becomes to stick or knead with a dough hook attachment on a stand mixer for 6-8 minutes, adding flour as necessary. [I always choose to knead by hand because I’m a crazy person and I actually enjoy it].
5. Oil large mixing bowl and put dough back in it. Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.
6. Separate dough into six pieces and form 1 x 16 inch ropes. Let rest for 5 minutes, then braid dough. Connect the strands at the top. Pick up the outer-most left strand and lift it over two strands and place under a third. Then pick the outer-most right strand and lift it over two strands and under a third. Continue alternating sides until you reach the bottom. It took me a couple tries and I’m still not sure, I got it right, but either way the dough turns out very pretty.
7. Dust the braid with flour. Place braided loaf on parchment paper on a baking tray, cover with a cloth and let rise until puffy and pillowy, about an hour.
8. Brush braid with beaten egg white, being sure to coat the entire outside, edges and all cracks and crevices [don’t’ overload it with egg whites or you’ll have scrambled eggs on top of your bread]. Bake for 30 minutes at 350, dough should read 190F with an instant read thermometer.
9. I highly recommend enjoying it warm!