Challah - Interwoven Traditions
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Recipe type: Bread
Author: Carol Egbert
Prep time: 3 hours
Cook time: 35 mins
Total time: 3 hours 35 mins
Serves: 4 med loaves
A braided loaf of golden yeast bread, enriched with eggs and enhanced with ginger.
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
  • 1 3/4 cup lukewarm water
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 cup crystallized ginger, cut in 1/2 inch dice
  • 8 to 9 cups all purpose flour
  • oil to grease bowl
  • 1 egg, to glaze dough
Instructions
  1. Combined yeast, water and 1 T honey in bowl.
  2. Stir to dissolve, set aside in warm place for 15 minutes.
  3. Add oil, eggs, salt, remaining honey, cardamom, and crystallized ginger. Use stand mixture, fitted with dough hook to slowly combine flour with yeast mixture.
  4. When dough holds together, tip out onto well-floured counter.
  5. Continue adding flour while kneading dough until it is smooth and elastic.
  6. Turn into a large bowl, greased with vegetable oil, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside, to rise for 1 hour.
  7. When almost doubled in size, deflated dough, cover and let it rise again for 30 min.
  8. Divide dough in quarters, form each quarter into 3 balls, roll each ball into a strand 12 inches long.
  9. Put strands side-by-side, onto greased baking sheet and pinch together at one end.
  10. Braid dough by lifting center strand over left strand, then lift the new center strand and place over strand on the right.
  11. Continue, alternating strands to form a braid. Pinch the 3 strands together.
  12. Use pastry brush to glaze braid with beaten egg.
  13. Repeat process with remaining dough and put each loaf on baking sheet/s at least 2 inches apart.
  14. Add another layer of beaten egg to each loaf, after it had risen for another hour.
  15. Put loaves into an pre-heated 375º oven.
  16. Baked until golden and an instant read thermometer, poked into the center read 190º.
Recipe by Vermont food from a country kitchen - Carol Egbert at http://www.carolegbert.com/challah-interwoven-traditions