The Best Bread Machine Challah

Mirj's Note:

This recipe originally comes from Kosher by Design by Susie Fishbein. I've been making this challah every week for the last two months, and it makes a delicious, rich challah. I don't use the bread machine method, making the dough in my Kenwood mixer and giving the final knead by hand, then braiding the challah and baking it in the oven. I'm posting this as a bread machine recipe at the request of Miraklegirl. BTW, I don't use all the water called for in the recipe, I usually add a bit at a time until I'm happy with the consistency of the dough.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 2 hrs
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 12

Yield: 2.0 challot

• 1 ½ cups water
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 1⁄8; teaspoons salt
• 1⁄3; cup oil
• 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (I use bread flour) or 4 ¼ cups bread flour (I use bread flour)
• ½ cup sugar (I use brown sugar)
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 1 large egg , lightly beaten
• sesame seeds or poppy seed

Directions:

1. Place the water, egg yolks, salt oil, flour, sugar and yeast in the bread machine pan, according to the manufacturer's directions.
2. Process the ingredients in the dough cycle.
3. Remove immediately when the machine beeps.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Divide the dough in half.
6. Divide each piece into three sections.
7. Roll each section into a long strand.
8. Braid the three strands, pinching the top and bottom ends together.
9. Place on a parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet.
10. Repeat with the remaining dough, making the second challah.
11. Let the challot rise, covered, for 30 minutes.
12. Brush the challot with the beaten egg.
13. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or a combination of both.
14. Bake for 30 minutes.
15. Cool on a wire rack.

Reviews

[lolablitz]

Wow! This was so good and really suprisingly easy. We buy challah bread whenever we can because I thought it would be too hard to make, but I was wrong! I did use regular white sugar because I wasn't sure if you use packed or loose brown sugar. TIP for the NOVICE BAKER LIKE ME :) The dough is very easy to work with and you don't need to put flour down on the surface to roll it out. Just take each strand in your hands and roll it between them like you would to make a play-doh "snake" - letting gravity do some of the work. Next time I might put some foil on top for part of the baking because we like a really light colored crust, but the bread does turn out really beautifully so don't feel that you have too. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe, Mirj!!!

Update: I made these again today - wonderful - but I added a cup less flour than it needed, so I kneaded about a cup into the dough after the bread machine cycle. Then I let it rise for about an hour in a slightly warm oven. I baked it at 350 for 20 minutes with the convection oven and it was To-Die-For!!! Thanks again!

[adopt a greyhound]

Very easy using the bread Machine. I made one reg. loaf and one braid, both turned out great.

[little giggly's mom]

Tried many, many recipes, and now only use this one. Perfect combo of taste and texture. I have started freezing one challah so that we don't eat two in 24 hours. 2 adults and 2 kids under the age of 5 should not be that piggish! I serve it with honey butter. Tried other recipes because of high cholesterol and there was no comparison. I gave my husband the choice tonight of the 'usual challah' recipe OR a decadent dessert, but not both. He chose the challah. If you knew my husband, you'd know the value of that compliment. Thanks.