Recipe: Challah Bread

My family loves this recipe and I love to braid the loaves.

INGREDIENTS

1	tsp. sugar
1/2	cup warm water
1	pkg. yeast
1/2	cup oil
1/2	cup warm water
1/4	cup sugar
2	tsp. salt
2	eggs
3 1/2 to 4	cups flour
	poppy or sesame seeds
1	egg beaten with 1 tsp. water

INSTRUCTIONS

1.	Dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in a large mixing bowl which has first been rinsed with hot water. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve.
2.	Combine with oil, warm water, sugar, salt, eggs and half of the flour. Beat well. Stir in remaining flour. Dough should be sticky. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed.
3.	Round up in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch down, cover and let rise again until double, about 45 minutes.
4.	Divide dough into 3 equal parts. (If you want to make 2 smaller challahs, first divide dough in half, then divide each half into 3 equal parts.) Shape into strands. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and braid loosely. Fasten ends securely. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double. Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with seeds. Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes, until golden brown. (If making 2 smaller challahs, baking time will be about 25 minutes.)

Recipe:Rustic Country Bread

Mallman’s Rustic Country Bread

Ingredients for one large loaf

500g (1 lb) strong white flour (plus a little extra for working with the bread)

15g fresh yeast or 5g dried yeast

250ml tepid water (38-43C)

125ml extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp sugar

Method

1. Dissolve the yeast in half of the tepid water (125ml) and set aside.

2.  Place the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl, add the dissolved yeast mixture, the olive oil and remaining water and mix until you form a dough. Add extra a little extra flour if necessary (I found that I didn’t need to).

3. Move the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10-12 minutes, until the dough is of an elastic consistency.

4. Transfer the dough to a floured bowl, cover with a damp towl and leave it prove in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

5. Flour a work surface. Using your fists, knock the dough to ‘knock out’ the air and form a rectangular shape, about 20cm wide by 38cm long and 2cm thick.

6. Wet the surface of the dough slightly (I just threw a little water on top) and roll the dough to form a cylinder shape, evening the edges with the palm of your hands. (I have to say that I found this quite a hard concept to understand at first but in simple terms, you roll the dough so that it looks like a long thin Swiss roll. This is how professional bread makers get their bread to look so good!)

7. Place this in a floured oven proof dish, cover with a damp cloth and leave to prove in a warm place for another hour, until it’s nearly doubled in size.

8. Heat the oven to 180C (350F). (Mallman makes a point of highlighting that a shelf be placed in the bottom third of the oven to ensure there is more heat. This is important if you’re using an oven such as mine, where heat is generated from the bottom and the temperature isn’t even throughout. In a fan oven, or something more modern, there will be no need to worry about this).

9. Make 4 or 5 deep diagonal slashes across the top of the bread (each about 1cm deep). Then sprikle a little water on top to dampen and then a little flour.

10. Cook the bread in the oven for 45 minutes. When the bread looks like it has a crispy crust and the bottom sounds hollow when you tap it the bread is ready.

11. Leave the bread to cool on a wire rack.

Bread: Challah

This is a Challah that I made for my daughter-in-law. This is absolutely a delicious bread. It has quite a bit of fat in it so it lasts and stays moist for several days. If you're interested in the recipe, comment below.