Challah
United States / Jewish American
Submitted by the family of Macy Goodwin, Bigelow class of 2021
Our Story
When my husband and I married we actively thought about what traditions we would keep and why. He is not Jewish. This for us was a must have. Our family rarely misses a Shabbat dinner, and I bake every week. Really it is fail proof and MUCH cheaper than store bought. Plus there is something so relaxing about kneading bread, and if you have had a hard day/week punching down the bread is a nice way to end the week and start afresh. The recipe is from a great cookbook called California Kosher and I use the egg whites that are leftover to make meringue cookies (also really easy) which are our special Shabbat dessert.
-Lena Goodwin (mom)
Ingredients
1 package yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
5 cups sifted flour
3 eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup raisins (optional, I don't do these too sweet)
1 egg yolk beaten
Recipe Instructions
Mix yeast with 1/4 cup warm water and a pinch of sugar. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
Put flour, and raisins if desired in a bowl and push to sides to make a well. Add yeast, eggs, sugar, oil, salt and vanilla and the balance of the water. Stir until ingredients are well mixed.
Flour a board and knead dough until soft and elastic. place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise for one hour. Punch down, cover and let rise again until double in bulk (about 45 minutes). Separate dough into 4 sections on floured board. Form 3 sections into long, thick rolls and braid on a piece of heavy duty foil on top of a cookie sheet. Separate the fourth piece into 3 smaller sections and make a braid to place on top of the larger braid. Cover and let rise about 1/2 hour or until double in bulk.
Mix egg yolk with 1-2 tablespoons of water and brush on the challah. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for about one hour or until bottom is well browned.