Moms Multigrain Challah Food

MOM'S CHALLAH

Steps:

• Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk yeast and water to fully dissolve yeast. Add sugar, orange juice, salt, melted butter, and 2 eggs, and whisk to combine. Then add raisins and flour. Attach a dough hook and mix on low speed just until the dough comes together and is not sticky. Mix an additional 2 minutes, the last 15 seconds on medium speed.
• Turn dough onto a work surface and knead a few times to bring it together, then place in a large buttered bowl. Place plastic wrap over dough, making sure to lightly tuck the plastic around the sides of the dough. Allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 60-90 minutes.
• The dough is ready when you can press your finger into the dough and it holds the indentation. Gently move the dough onto your work surface in one piece. Cut the dough into thirds and, without deflating the dough too much, roll each piece into a strand about 10 inches long. Lay the strands out parallel to each other, and pinch them together at one end. Pull the rightmost strand over the center one, then the left over the new center, alternating until you have a tightly finished braid and can pinch the end together. At this point, you can wrap the braid around itself to form a "turban" and seal the ends together. If it doesn't look right, just unbraid and try again! Place challah on a parchment-lined baking tray and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Whisk the remaining egg with 2 tablespoons water in a bowl. Glaze the top and sides of the challah with this egg wash, then bake 35-45 minutes.
• To test if the challah is fully cooked, tap on its bottom-it should sound hollow. Let cool 30 minutes. Serve. (And remember, if you're eating it fresh, tear it apart with your hands!)

CHALLAH, MULTICOLOR

Steps:

• for the vegetable-colored loaves: peel and dice beets and carrot.
• put beets, carrots, and spinach in separate saucepans with enough water to cover by 1/2 inch, and cook each until soft, adding water as needed to keep just under cover.
• in turns, puree each vegetable and its cooking water, adding water as needed to get 2 cups of liquid puree from each vegetable.
• you should now have 2 cups each of spinach, carrot and beet puree. let each cool to just barely warm.
• pour each puree into separate large mixing bowls, and put 1 2/3 cup water into a fourth mixing bowl for standard challah. these will be the 4 separate batches of dough.
• to each liquid add 1/2 cup oil, then 1/2 cup honey.
• hint: pour the oil just before the honey, and the honey will slip right out of the measuring cup.
• mix well, then add 3 eggs to each batch, and mix again.
• to each mix add 3 tsp salt, mix well.
• add 3 cups bread flour to each batch, mix until sloppy.
• add 2 scant Tablespoons instant dry yeast to each batch, mix well.
• continue adding flour (this is where I switch to all-purpose) to each batch until thick enough to turn out and knead.
• one at a time, knead each batch on a floured surface, adding more bread flour as needed.
• the dough has enough flour when it is feeling rather firm, bounces back when you press on it, and feels tacky but not sticky.
• when each batch is done being kneaded, put it back in its mixing bowl, coating the mixing bowl first with a little oil. flip the dough around in the oil to cover entirely with a thin film of oil.
• cover each batch with a large plate, or with heavy plastic wrap, and let sit 45-50 minutes in a warm spot to rise until approximately doubled in size.
• one at a time, flip each batch of dough onto floured surface, knead briefly, and cut and form 12 long strips for braiding. flour each lightly to keep from sticking.
• keep strands in a pile of each color, until all doughs are done being made into strips.
• you now have 4 piles of 12 strips each to braid.
• make 4-strand braids using one strip of each color. (to see a demo of this, GO TO-->).
• http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/tipTechniqueView.cfm?objectid=11754DCC-E8FC-4498-A0F52DD050659A71.
• put loaves on parchment-covered baking sheets, cover well with plastic wrap or with a large plastic tablecloth, and let rise 30-45 minutes in a warm spot, until doubled in size.
• add about 1/3 - 1/2 cup water to 3 egg whites and mix well.
• use egg white mixture to glaze loaves after rising is done, using a soft bristle pastry brush.
• bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, or until nicely browned and sounding hollow when you knock on the bottom of the loaf.
• cool on racks.
• freezes well.

MOM'S CHALLAH, SECOND VERSION

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water and set aside. It will soon start bubbling.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, 2 cups of water, oil and salt. Mix.
• Add the eggs and the yeast mixture and mix well.
• Add 4 cups of flour, and mix well again. Add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead knead knead. (If you are doing this in a mixer, just knead in the mixer.) When it is smooth and elastic, it is done. You may need to add a little extra flour or water to get it to that earlobe consistency. You can add the raisins here if you'd like.
• Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let it rise until doubled in size.
• Punch down, knead another few minutes, and return to the bowl for another rising.
• Divide into thirds (by cutting with a knife; don't pull), and shape into loaves.
• Heat oven to 350°F
• Place each loaf in a prepared pan or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with the egg/water mixture, and sprinkle with seeds if you wish.
• Bake for about 45 minutes. When done, the loaves will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

MOM'S MULTIGRAIN CHALLAH

Steps:

• Bake at 350'