The self-care challah recipe
included in Braided: A Journey of a thousand challahs
INGREDIENTS
2¼ tsp loose yeast (or one packet yeast)
1 tsp sugar
1 cup very warm water (almost too warm, but not hot!)
2 eggs
2 tsp salt
¼ cup sugar
⅓ cup oil
4+ cups flour
one egg yolk for baking
METHOD
Start by saying: “I am making this dough in the merit of (maybe a friend who is sick that week, or someone you are happy for, sad for, mad at, etc.)
Mix yeast, sugar & warm water together in small bowl (1); let stand approx. 10 min. This mixture will start to bubble.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, mix 2 eggs, salt, sugar, oil & 2 c flour together (2).
Add yeast mixture (1) to flour mixture (2).
Add approx. 1½ cups of flour to mixture. Dough should start to form a ball, separating from the bowl.
Place dough on a floured surface & knead, lifting up with one hand & then the other. Knead at least 5 mins as dough becomes increasingly elastic. If still sticky, add a bit more flour to dough. Knead dough into a ball.
Place dough back into oiled bowl, cover & place bowl somewhere warm for 1 – 1½ hours to rise, approx. doubling in volume.
Preheat oven to 375º. Remove cover from bowl, place dough on floured surface. (At this point, feel free to do this step, but it is absolutely not necessary: take a small piece of dough (about the size of an egg), double wrap in plastic wrap & say the prayer over separating the challah (technically only say if more than 5 lbs of flour used, but more on that in the book)*. Discard this piece of wrapped dough and continue.
Punch out dough one more time. Cut dough in half, one for each challah. Then divide each half into 3 equal pieces. Roll out each piece, crimp together at the top and braid into a loaf. Place on a greased (or parchment paper or a silpat liner) baking sheet. Repeat with second ball of dough. May let rise again at this step.
Paint each challah with a mixture made of egg yolk plus a little water.
Bake approx. 25 – 30 mins, or until bread rises & is golden brown. Remove, cool.
Place challah on platter and cover it. Enjoy this moment of accomplishment and ritual, and of having taken the time to do something good both for yourself and for others.
*Baruch Ata A-Do-Nay Elo-haynu Melech Ha-Olam Asher Kidishanu B’Mitzvotav V’Tziyvanu L”Hafrish Challah. (Blessed are You, Lord, our G-d, Ruler of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to separate the Challah.)