I was inspired by the folks at King Arthur Flour again with their beautifully explained post titled Challah-lujah. I varied their recipe, but mine still turned out beautifully. I am submitting this post to the weekly Yeastspotting event which now has my mouth watering for some fresh bread!
Challah by Joie de vivre inspired by King Arthur Flour blog
Ingredients:
3/4 cup lukewarm water
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
2 large eggs
4 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbls. instant yeast
Glaze:
1 large egg, beaten
1 Tbls. cold water
Directions:
1. Combine all the bread ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well then turn out onto the counter and knead well until smooth.
2. Place the dough ball in a greased bowl, turn it over so that the dough is lightly greased on all sides, then cover and leave to rise about 3 hours, until it is doubled.
3. Gently deflate the dough and separate it into 4 equal parts.
4. Take each part and roll into a 15 inch long rope. Let each rest a few minutes then continue to roll until the ropes measure about 21 inches each.
5. Lay the strands parallel to each other, pinch them together on one side, then follow these directions from King Arthur Flour on how to braid a 4 strand braid.
6. Gently place the loaf on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
7. Cover and let rise at least 45 minutes (or as long as it takes) to get nice and puffed.
8. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
9. Whisk together the glaze ingredients and gently brush on top of the loaf.
10. Optional: Sprinkle heavily with sesame seeds.
11. Place your baking sheet on top of another baking sheet to insulate the bottom of the loaf.
12. Bake the challah for 20 minutes. Tent the challah loosely with aluminum foil to prevent it from browning too much and bake for another 25 minutes.
13. Remove the bread from the oven and cool on a rack.
Oh my that is beautiful bread, and I love the napkin or table cloth you used as the back drop! My friend Gen suggested she found a good bread recipe she wants me to make...here I go again getting myself into the baking mode...you are an awesome cook and mother, your family is blessed to have you!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love fresh bread, and yours look wonderful! I bring you luck & resolutions for the new year! Check out todays blog post, if you will...
ReplyDeleteGorgeous challah!
ReplyDeleteOh my word. Oh my word. Oh my word. That is JUST beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI think your loaf looks better than the one that was on the King Arthur sight.
ReplyDeleteAm out of words..My my..That gorgeous..Hats off to you Joie..lovely..:)
ReplyDeleteOh my, you all make me blush. :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful challah. This could be used for some great French toast.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful and perfect loaf of bread! I bet it's really delicious!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous loaf! I love making challah bread - it's FANTASTIC for french toast (aka Eggy Bread). Just lovely!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I found your site. Lovely recipes and tips! Will definitely add your feed to my blog.
ReplyDeletehey dear thanks for following and the challah...hmm..i can smell the freshly baked bread...sinff sniff...
ReplyDeletelove the look too. :)
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThe challah looks beautiful! Thanks for visiting my blog. Am delighted you liked the Vasilopita!! I too was delighted with the result. The recipe is a keeper.
Apu
Wow, that is one fine looking loaf of bread. I love challah, it makes the best french toast.
ReplyDeleteI had seen Arthur flour challah.This looks perfect .
ReplyDeletelooks really perfect..has turned out so beautiful..
ReplyDeleteYour challah is beautiful. I know I would be timid about braiding the dough.
ReplyDeleteThis may be a dopey question but.....could you use all-purpose flour or does it absolutely have to be cake flour? We don't have the King Arthur brand where I live. It IS a beautiful loaf of bread.
ReplyDeleteTina
challah never fails to impress me. it's hard enough to make bread, but to braid it is a whole different story--bravo!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous challah! Thanks so much for participating in YeastSpotting.
ReplyDeleteSo pretty! I haven't yet graduated from my bread machine but this is something I should try! I've seen bloggers who are members of such groups as Yeastspotting and Daring Bakers - I wonder if that's just what I need to motivate me to do some baking.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the words of encouragement on my site! I'm glad you mentioned that you'd intended to start the bread in your machine. I was thinking I could do the same and work my way to all 'handmade'. I love my bread machine but was never overly fond of the upright, rectangular shape - not very loaf-like at all.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful bread. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYou make this look very feasible, even for me. After a warm beef brisket sandwich in challah the other day, maybe I could replicate the whole thing on my own...
ReplyDeleteI always love how pretty braided bread looks.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful challah, I love making this especially if my father in law is visiting.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Elra
You Challah looks fantastic. I love making french toast with the leftovers.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about making Challah today - weird coincidence that I came across this post not 10 minutes later?
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of Challah can't be beat. Perfectly braided and love the nutty sesame topping,deeelectable:)
ReplyDeleteMade my firsst loaf of challah last week - then had to make two more because our family liked it o much.
ReplyDeleteYour loaf looks perfect.
Great post!
ReplyDeleteWow what beautiful bread, it really does look fantastic!
ReplyDelete