How to make Challah | Bread Recipe

https://youtu.be/HQv05ALGd-Y

Ingredients

• 3/4 packages (5.25 grams) active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 1 - 1/4 cup (295 ml) of water (105 degrees)
• 4 cups (544 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (25 grams) sugar + (1 Tablespoon / 12.5 grams for activating yeast)
• 1/4 cup (60 grams) vegetable oil + (a bit more for greasing bowl)
• 2 large eggs + (1 egg for egg wash)
• 1 teaspoon (5.7 grams) salt

1. Activate the yeast by mixing it with water and a tablespoon of sugar. You want the water to be at about 85 degrees, which you can check with a thermometer (or just heat up the water in the microwave for about 30 seconds at full power to get it to this temp). The yeast takes about 10 minutes to activate.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together — flour, salt, and sugar. Use only about 80% of the flour, and reserve 20% of it to add as you go, as you will likely need it later to make the dough come together and become less sticky.
3. Mix all the wet ingredients together — oil, water, activated yeast, and eggs. You can either mix by hand, or use a stand mixer. This dough is going to be very sticky, but don’t be afraid of sticky dough! You just have to get used to it.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon. It’s easier to use the back of the handle instead of the front (protip!) to mix all the ingredients until the dough stops sticking to the side of the bowl. Add a tablespoon at a time of the remaining 20% of flour. The amount you need to add is based off of humidity of the room, so it will vary each time you make it.
5. Once the dough stops sticking to the bowl, take it out and put it on a clean counter. It’s time to start kneading, which takes about 15–20 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when it passes the windowpane test.
6. Now you’ll shape the dough into a ball, and place it in a clean bowl for it to rest for one hour for the fermentation process. Cover it with a plate or with clingfilm, and put it in a warm place — you can put it in the oven with the lightbulb turned on, or on top of the fridge. If it’s a particularly warm day, you can leave it out on the counter.
7. Take the dough out of the bowl, and put it on the counter. Now punch down the dough to de-gas it. If you have a scale, weigh the dough and divide it by the number of strands you need (I typically make 4 strands). If you don’t have a scale, just square it up and divide it evenly.
8. Start the pre-shaping process. Pre-shaping helps give the dough better structure and helps you guide it into the strand shape. Let the dough rest for at least 10–15 minutes to let the gluten relax.
9. For the final shaping, shape the dough into the 4 strands.
10. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. If you have a convection oven, turn that on.
11. Time to braid! Arrange the strands and pinch the top together. You need to number the positions of the strands (not the strands themselves) from 1 to 4. We’ll start a repeating pattern by layering strand 4 over 2, strand 1 over 3, then strand 2 over 3. You’ll repeat this pattern until you reach the end of the strands.
12. Grab a baking pan and cover it with parchment paper. Now take the braided loaf and put it on the pan.
13. Make a quick egg wash for the dough with 1 egg yolk and a tablespoon of water. Paint the egg wash onto the bread. Wait 15 minutes then put on a second coat.
14. It’s time for the oven! Pop it into the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes, on the middle rack. Don’t take it out too soon! You want the challah to be a nice golden brown.
15. Once the challah has a beautiful golden brown color, take it out of the oven and place it on a cooling rack. The cooling process is the last step, and very important. Be sure to let the challah cool for at least one hour.
16. Enjoy!

Want to use the same stuff I do:

Thermometer — https://amzn.to/2wggpdf

Ramekins — https://amzn.to/2JWk0iB

Dough scraper — https://amzn.to/2rp6iwK

Bench knife — https://amzn.to/2HVJYSz

Bench knife (2)— https://amzn.to/2roEXM0

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