Jewish Fare

          I know it's not the Jewish Sabbath or a Jewish holiday, but I found a challah bread recipe the other day and decided to try it out. We had some tonight for dinner with some roasted butternut squash (the best!!!). It turned out yummy. My only regret is that I wish I'd maybe let the top brown more in the oven. It still came out great with a crisp outer crust and chewy center. My favorite part was definitely braiding the ropes of bread dough like I would my daughter's hair. It was actually sort of fun (I know, I'm a nerd). I've seen pictures of challah where the dough is divided into many more ropes and braided more elaborately than what this recipe specifies, but it's all about baby steps! Also note that this recipe is a lighter version of challah as it uses fewer eggs than many traditional challah recipes, making it less rich.


Yield: 16 servings
124 calories per serving

• Ingredients:
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
• 3/4 cup warm water (100° to 110°)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• Cooking spray 
• 2 teaspoons water
• 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten 

Directions:

     1. Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Add oil and egg, stirring with a whisk. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add flour and salt to yeast mixture; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.
     2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

1.      3. Punch dough down; shape into a ball. Return dough to bowl; cover and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
2.      4. Punch dough down; turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.
3.      5. Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Working with 1 portion at a time (cover remaining dough to keep from drying), shape each portion into a 15-inch rope. Place ropes lengthwise on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray (do not stretch); pinch ends together at one end to seal. Braid ropes, and pinch loose ends together to seal. Cover and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in size.
4.      6. Preheat oven to 375°.
5.      7. Uncover dough. Combine 2 teaspoons water and egg yolk; brush over braid. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until loaf is browned on bottom and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack.

Tips:

• I was able to cut the rising time in half by rising the dough in the oven. I preheated the oven to its lowest setting (170 degrees on my oven), put the dough in the oven, turned the oven off, and let the dough rise for about 30 minutes each time rather than an hour each time.
• To make kneading easier, I used my stand mixer to knead the bread dough rather than kneading by hand. I've kneaded bread dough many times by hand and it's definitely a workout for my hands (but at least then you can sport some impressive hand and finger muscles, haha). So, if you have a stand mixer, use it!