Challot

i went to a Shabbat 101 class several weeks ago. We made challah (which is an egg bread, related to brioche but with no butter). I have successfully (more or less) been making challah every week since. Homemade bread just tastes so much better. And this one is very simple.

Naomi's Challah

1pkg rapid rise yeast
1/4 cup water
1tsp sugar
Combine and set aside

4 1/2 cups flour
2tsp salt
2Tbl oil
1/3 cup honey
3 egg yolks
1 cup water

1 egg yolk and 1 tsp water for egg wash

Combine flour and salt and mix together. Add oil, honey (use a clear glass measuring cup. put in the oil and then the honey. the oil will float to the top of the honey and the honey will release from the cup easier) and the egg yolks. Mix. Add yeast mixture and 1 cup of water. mix all together until combined and then knead for several minutes until smooth and elastic. You can add some flour or water if either is necessary.
Let rise for 1-1 1/2 hours covered with a clean towel (This recipe does not double in size). Split dough into 6 balls and roll out into ropes. Braid to make 2 challahs. Let rise on a cookie sheet for another 30 minutes. Brush with egg wash and bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.

You can save the egg whites and make your self an omelette. If I am not using them right away i cover with plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge.

In the photo above i just used egg white for the egg wash instead of the yolk. Using the yolk will give you the classic dark brown shiny crust. I didn't have a lot of eggs so i decided not to crack another one just for eggwash since i had the whites anyway.

I have also successfully doubled this recipe if you want to give some to friends or just freeze some for later.