High Altitude Challah Food

HIGH-ALTITUDE CHALLAH

Steps:

• Combine the warm water, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and the yeast in a measuring cup. Let stand until the yeast dissolves and starts to foam, 5 to 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, beat 2 eggs. Put the egg yolks in a measuring cup and add enough milk to equal 1/3 cup with the yolks in it. Pour this in with the eggs and then stir in the yeast mixture, butter, salt and remaining sugar. Gradually mix in the flour until the dough is firm enough to handle. Knead the dough on a floured surface until the dough does not stick to your hands. You will probably use more flour while kneading. Place the dough into an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Cut the dough into 3 or 4 even portions and roll into long ropes. Braid and tuck the ends under. Place the loaf on a baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise. Bread is ready to bake when your finger leaves an impression in the dough.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Whisk the remaining egg in a cup with a fork. Brush onto the loaf. This will give the bread a lovely golden color and delicious crust.
• Bake until the loaf is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 35 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

HIGH-ALTITUDE CHALLAH

Steps:

• Combine the warm water, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and the yeast in a measuring cup. Let stand until the yeast dissolves and starts to foam, 5 to 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, beat 2 eggs. Put the egg yolks in a 1/3 measuring cup and add enough milk to equal 1/3 cup with the yolks in it. Pour this into the bowl with the eggs and pour in the yeast mixture, butter, salt, and remaining (2 tablespoons + 2 1/2 tsp.) sugar. Gradually mix in the flour until the dough is firm enough to handle.
• Knead the dough on a floured surface until the dough does not stick to your hands. You will probably use more flour while kneading.
• Place the dough into an oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Cut the dough into 3 even portions and roll into long ropes. Press one set of ends together, and braid and tuck the other set of ends under, pressing gently (see the intro, above, for a video link to braiding a six-strand challah).
• Place the loaf on a greased baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise. Bread is ready to bake when your finger leaves an impression in the dough.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl. Brush onto the loaf. This will give the bread a lovely golden color and delicious crust.
• Bake until the loaf is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 35 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
• *To make rolls: Follow the steps to prepare the dough, and let it rise until it is doubled in size. Divide the dough into 15-16 even pieces (about 2 oz. [weight] each), and craft into desired shape. Brush with egg wash (as you would the bread), and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

MY FAVORITE CHALLAH

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
• Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.)
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
• To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
• Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.
• If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking. Then dip your index finger in the egg wash, then into poppy or sesame seeds and then onto a mound of bread. Continue until bread is decorated with seeds.
• Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack.

VEGAN CHALLAH BREAD RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the yeast and a pinch of sugar. Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of warm water over the yeast mixture while turning the bowl so it stirs itself. Rest for 5 minutes, or until the yeast has bloomed and is bubbly, then add 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil.
• In a separate medium bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of melted coconut oil, the remaining 3 tablespoons of warm water, and the baking powder.
• In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups (385 g) of flour, the table salt, and remaining ½ cup (110 g) of granulated sugar. While stirring, add the coconut oil and yeast mixtures to the dry ingredients and combine with a spoon. Once the dough is smooth, gradually add up to 1 cup (125 g) of flour and incorporate by kneading the dough with your hands (you may not need all of the flour).
• Knead until the dough isn't sticking to the sides of the bowl, then transfer to a large bowl greased with coconut oil. Cover with a damp towel and let rest on the counter for 2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
• Punch down the dough and turn out onto a floured workspace. Knead gently to get out any large air bubbles, and form into a log shape. Depending on the braid you are planning to do, cut the dough into the appropriate amount of even pieces.
• Braid into desired shape (braiding options below) and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a damp towel and let rise again for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 325˚F (165˚C).
• Lightly brush the challah with melted coconut oil for a nice shine and bake for 25-30 minutes, brushing with more coconut oil halfway through, until golden brown. To check for doneness try knocking on the bottom of the bread. If it sounds hollow, it's done!
• Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
• Enjoy!