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- 2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 6 to 6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- TOPPING:
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon cold water
- 1 tablespoon sesame or poppy seeds, optional
- In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil, sugar, salt, eggs and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Divide each portion into thirds. Shape each piece into a 15-in. rope.
- Place three ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- Beat egg and cold water; brush over braids. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if desired. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).
Reviews forChallah
My Review
Average Rating
"I desperately wanted to love this. I have 5 kids who eat 2 loaves of challah in 3.8 seconds every Shabbat so I've been looking for a recipe to make 4 loaves so my husband and I can actually have a little. Plus, it's quite a pain to take 5 kids in car seats out for challah every Friday morning.
I made it exactly as directed, no substitutions or additions or reductions...in two separate batches (to yield 4 loaves), oiled bowl, flip, rose in the room with our fireplace, made ropes, braided, rose again, egg wash, bake... 30 minutes.... over cooked, second loaf: 25 minutes.... over cooked. Third loaf: 18 minutes, still a bit over cooked but close... final loaf, 12 minutes, just right, but still too dense a loaf, and NONE of them were sweet enough to be traditional challah.Waste of time, waste of ingredients, just.... what a waste. I could not be more disappointed. Guess I'm onto another recipe.Note: I cook most of our meals FROM SCRATCH and bake almost daily. I'm not inexperienced. This recipe is a major let down.""We loved this recipe. My braiding wasn't as pretty as their picture, but practice makes perfect, and I plan to make this again.
Update: I have now made this many times and my braiding now looks as good as the picture. I've made it with the poppy seeds, with the sesame seeds, but my family loves it best without either.""This is nice and tasty."
"Classic flavor. Traditionally, the challah should have 12 braided sections, one for each tribe of Israel."
"great recipe would make it again"
"This is our very own Jewish traditional challah which we eat at the shabbat dinner and shabbat lunch meals. It's delicious and has a very spiritual meaning. I haven't tried this recipe yet but i might still in the future..."
"I saw this recipe in my TOH baking Book and decided to try it. My son loved it so much I only had one slice. He used it for sandwiches, soups and just eating while watching TV. I guess this will become a staple in my house. Love the recipe."
"Does anyone know if you can do this with whole wheat flour? Would you use the same amount as regular flour?"
