Challah, (pronounced haw’lah) is an eggy, airy bread often braided into baguettes and delicious with whipped cream or powdered sugar and strawberries for breakfast. For Rosh Hashanah, marking the year 5782 in the Jewish calendar, however, challah is baked in round rolls. This year Rosh Hashanah started the evening of September 6th and concludes the 8th of the month. Along with challah, apples or other fruits and honey make a traditional and enjoyable snack for the new year.
Ingredients:
⅓ cup warm water
Two Tablespoons dry yeast
One teaspoon salt
One Tablespoon sugar
Two eggs for the batter
¼ cup oil
⅔ cup hot water
3 cups flour
Extra flour for kneading
One egg for crust
The section in italics is optional.
Pour warm water and yeast into a large bowl. The water should be warm to the touch.
Once the yeast has dissolved, mix in the sugar and salt. Beat two eggs with the oil in another dish; slowly add it to the yeast mixture.
Then gradually add three cups of flour and the hot water (using an electric teapot is a nice shortcut for hot water).
Stir the dough until it forms a consistent texture you can make into a ball. Cover a cutting board with flour (¼ cup is good to start) and place the dough onto it. Knead the dough for ten minutes, adding more flour to the board if it gets too sticky to handle.
Put the dough back in the bowl and cover it with a damp washcloth. Wait two hours for it to rise and double in size.
Place the dough back onto the floured board and knead for one minute. Stretch the dough into an eighteen inch-long rope.
Cut the rope in half longwise with a sharp knife and pull the two halves apart carefully.
Pinch the end of each piece together with a bit of water on your fingers. Then, twist the two ropes together, and seal the two other ends.
Wrap the dough into a spiral and press the outer end into the roll with a bit of water. Let the dough rise uncovered for another 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375º F. Carefully move the roll onto a well-greased cookie sheet. Beat an egg and generously coat the roll (expect its bottom) with it.
Bake the challah for 40 minutes. The outside should be a medium brown. Let cool and enjoy.
