Challah Braid (bread)

If you make Challah bread before the weekend it will be great for French toast for breakfast, it toasts beautifully, leftovers are good for bread pudding and it makes great croutons.

The recipe could not be simpler. Put everything in a stand mixer with the dough hook and let the machine knead the dough until satiny and smooth. Let it rise once, shape and let rise again before baking at 350F. This is not the kind of bread you bake at very high temperature 

Here is how I make it:

500gr ap flour, more as needed
2 packages yeast
1 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 cup water
2 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup neutral oil
2 eggs

1 egg for the glaze
Sesame seeds

Place flour, yeast, salt, water, honey, oil and eggs in a bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook. Begin mixing until the ingredients combine, then continue kneading the dough for 5 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. If necessary, add more flour but not too much. 

Turn dough over to the counter and bring it together with kneading motions into a smooth ball. 

Place the ball of dough a lightly oiled dish, cover and let rise for a couple of hours.

Return to the counter and divide the dough in 3 equal pieces by weight. Roll each into a long rope (18” or so) and shape into a braid, pinching the ends together.

Cover and let rest again until puffy, about an hour. 

At this time place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 350F.

When ready to bake, brush the dough with 1 egg whisked with a bit of water. Sprinkle sesame seeds over. 

Place in the preheated oven and bake until golden and cooked through (internal temp should be around 195F). 

Remove from oven and let cool on a rack before slicing.