Challah Bread

Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups water, warmed
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon water
• vegetable oil, for greasing
• poppy seed

Recipe

• 1 combine the flour, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl.
• 2 then add the honey, the warm water and whole eggs. mix well until the dough is well-defined, barely sticky and easy to handle ball. knead by hand for a minute or so.
• 3 lightly oil a large bowl. shape the dough into a rough ball, place in the bowl and cover with a lid, plastic wrap or a damp towel for at least 1 ½ hours or until nearly doubled in bulk.
• 4 deflate the ball and cut into 6 equal pieces; shape them into balls and let them rest on a lightly floured surface for about 15 minutes, covered with a dry clean towel.
• 5 roll each of the balls into ropes about 14 inches long and 1 inch thick. braid them on a lightly greased baking sheet. cover and let rest for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• 6 beat the yolk with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the top of each loaf with this mixture. sprinkle with poppy seeds. bake for 30 to 35 minutes.