Nadavs Delicious Challah Food

CHALLAH FRENCH TOAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, orange zest, vanilla, honey, and salt. Slice the challah in 3/4-inch thick slices. Soak as many slices in the egg mixture as possible for 5 minutes, turning once.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Place the cooked French toast on a sheet pan and keep it warm in the oven. Fry the remaining soaked bread slices, adding butter and oil as needed, until it's all cooked. Serve hot with maple syrup, raspberry preserves, and/or confectioners' sugar.

FAMOUS CHALLAH

Steps:

• First measure out all your ingredients.
• Now from the 1/2 of cup sugar take 1 tablespoon of the sugar & combine it with the yeast& warm water (you know you have the right temperature of warm water when it's the same temperature as the inside of your wrist).
• I let my mixer bowl which is metal (kitchen aid) sit in a hot water bath while the yeast dissolves, 10 minutes.
• After the yeast has dissolved (it's nice & foamy) add to it the rest of the sugar, salt & 3 1/2 cups flour.
• Mix well (I use the bread hook).
• Add egg (already beaten) & oil.
• Slowly start mixing in most of the remaining 3 1/2 cups of flour.
• The dough will become quite thick.
• When the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl, turn it onto a floured surface& knead for approximately 10 minute.
• Add only enough additional flour to make dough manageable.
• Knead until dough has acquired a "life of its own"; it should be smooth & elastic, springing back when pressed lightly with your fingertip.
• Place dough into a large oiled bowl turning the dough once so its oiled on all sides.
• Cover with a damp towel & let rise in a warm place for 2 hours, punching down in 4-5 places every 20 minutes.
• Now, I always write down what time I started so I don't forget when the 2 hours are up & set a timer every 20 minutes. (In the summer I let the dough rise on my balcony & in the winter in front of my oven where something is always baking, turning it every time I punch down the dough).
• After the 2 hours, turn your dough onto your working surface.
• Now comes the forming part.
• For Shabbos I always make a 2 level braided challah which looks great & is really easy.
• Prepare your baking sheet lining it with parchment paper.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• First, take a large knife & cut the dough in half.
• Next, from each 1/2 now cut off a third & place the 2 thirds on the side.
• Now, from the first half (where you've removed a third) divide the remaining dough into approximately equal thirds.
• Roll each third out till its about 10-12 inches (I'm guessing I never measured it) & braid all 3 roll together pinching the top & bottom half together& turning them slightly under.
• Place on baking sheet.
• Repeat the same for other half.
• Now take the first third you removed earlier& divide in 3, braid just like you did before& place on top of the already braided challah.
• Repeat same for other third.
• Now let the challah rise for 1/2 an hour.
• After the challah has risen glaze with beaten egg & add mohn or sesame if you wish.
• Almost done!
• Put in preheated oven & let bake for exactly 25 minutes!
• Turn off oven & leave Challahs in for exactly another 10 minutes!
• Remove from oven.
• Enjoy--you deserve every compliment you get!

DELICIOUS SWEET CHALLAH

Steps:

• Proof the yeast: Place the 1/2 cup warm water, yeast, 1 tbl sugar in a large glass measuring cup or bowl. Set aside until yeast gets bubbly.
• In a separate bowl, combine the 2 cups sugar, boiling water, salt, and oil.
• Crack eggs into large bowl (or your mixer bowl). Add proofed yeast, mix again. Add the sugar/water mixture. Mix thoroughly.
• Add the flour in batches, incorporating well each time.
• Knead dough for 10-15 minutes, adding flour as needed until you get that earlobe texture.
• Place dough in a large bowl (greased), cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, punching down in the interim.
• Turn out dough onto floured surface. Separate the piece of dough with the blessing if you make it.
• Divide dough into 6-7 pieces, and shape into challah according to your favorite style. (You can braid three strands, four strands, six strands -- whatever!).
• (At this point you can freeze some of the shaped challot to bake later on.).
• Let rise another 30 minutes or so.
• Brush each loaf with beaten egg. Sprinkle with seeds.
• Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

NADAV'S DELICIOUS CHALLAH

Steps:

• Place all the ingredients (except for the egg and the sesame seeds) in a bowl and knead until a good smooth dough has been achieved.
• You can either do this by hand or in a counter-top mixer with a dough hook.
• Place the dough in a bowl and let rise for one hour.
• During this one hour, punch down and knead the dough every 15 minutes.
• Divide the dough into the amount of loaves you want, then divide each piece into 3 and start braiding.
• Place the braids on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
• Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Let rise for another 1/2 an hour.
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 150 degrees C (300 degrees F).
• Bake the braids for 1/2 an hours.
• The dough is almost idiot-proof.
• It comes out smooth and gorgeous and the challahs are amazing.
• Very addictive.

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!)

DELICIOUS HOMEMADE CHALLAH

Steps:

• Follow instructions on yeast package to activate yeast in warm water for 10 minutes.
• Mix the ingredients - putting the oil into the bowl first and then measure and add the honey - using the same measuring cup that you measured the oil inches This little trick allows the honey to run smoothly out of the measuring cup.
• Add the remaining ingredients in the order given.
• If using an electric mixer, let it knead for 3 minutes and then do a little hand-kneading as you transfer the dough into an oiled bowl. If it is kneaded by hand, it is necessary to knead the dough for 10 minutes.
• Let the dough rise in a large bowl that has been coated with oil. When transferring the dough into the oiled bowl, be sure to turn it on all sides so that it gets a thin coating of oil. Place the bowl in a warm place until the dough is double in size -- then punch down and knead a bit more.
• Place the dough back in the bowl and let it rise a second time. This should take about one hour. Punch down and cut into sizes desired.
• After shaping the challahs, brush them generously with egg yolk and sprinkle with either poppy seeds or sesame seeds if you prefer.
• Bake in 350-degree oven for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until the challah sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.