Finally had a little too much time on my hands and decided to make some yummy bread…. Not having a fancy mixer, I did everything by hand on this dough and it took approximately 5 1/2 hours with rising times…. this is my first time making it so im sure that next time labour time will decrease significantly… anyways, I’m attaching a picture gallery of the step by step method with the recipe…. enjoy, cause I really did!
Makes 2 loaves…
Ingredients
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1½ tbsp dry active yeast
½ cup tepid water 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup whole milk
1 tbsp honey 2 ½ tsp salt
4 large eggs 6 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
Glaze and Topping
1 large egg 1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp cold water Coarse salt
Method:
- Brush a large mixing bowl with some melted butter, set aside. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper
- Whisk the yeast into the water. Add 2 pinches of sugar and let rest (5-10 min)
- Cut butter into small pieces, toss into a saucepan with the milk. Heat until milk is very warm to the touch and butter has melted. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl, add remaining sugar, honey, salt and stir with a wooden spoon. Allow to cool until 110 degrees F
- Add creamy yeast to the mixture, along with eggs and stir with wooden spoon. Stirring vigorously add flour, ½ cup at a time stopping when you have dough that cleans the sides of the bowl and is difficult to stir. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead, adding flour to keep from sticking to hands and counter until it is smooth and elastic (10 min)
- Form dough into a ball, transfer to the buttered mixing bowl. Brush top with more melted butter, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Let rise at room temperature 1 to 1 ½ hours (until doubled). When fully risen, deflate, cover and allow it to double in size again (1 hr to 45 min)
- Deflate dough and turn onto floured surface. Cut in ½ and keep the extra piece covered. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 16 inches long (thick in center, tapered at the ends) Align the ropes vertically and start braiding at the middle. Once you reach an end, turn the loaf around and braid the second end. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under the loaf. Transfer to baking sheet, plump into shape and cover for another 40 min until almost doubled. Repeat with other ½ dough
- Preheat oven to 375. Whisk egg, yolk and water together. Brush tops and sides of Challah with glaze and let set for 5 minutes and brush again. Sprinkle seeds and coarse salt
- Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and brush the exposed inner dough with glaze. Bake for another 15-20 minutes until loaves are golden and sound hollow in the bottom. (if they brown too quickly, cover with shiny side up foil) Cool before slicing.
