Ny Times Challah Food

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.

OLIVE OIL CHALLAH

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine orange juice and 1 tablespoon water. Sprinkle yeast over top and let sit until frothy, about 5 minutes.
• Add oil, 2 eggs, 1 yolk, the sugar, the salt and the zest, if using, and beat with a dough hook until just combined. Add in flour, 1 cup/125 grams at a time, until dough comes together into a sticky mass. You may or may not use all of the flour, so at the end, add it gradually. The dough should come away from the sides of the bowl but not be at all stiff. You're looking for a slightly sticky, soft dough.
• Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl and turn the dough over. Cover bowl with a clean dish towel and let rise in a draft-free place until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 3 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. (It may take longer in colder kitchens.) Press down dough to expel all the air, cover bowl, and let rise for another 45 minutes.
• In a small bowl, make egg wash by combining the remaining 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water. To make a classic braided challah, cut dough into three equal pieces and roll them each into ropes 12 inches long. Or, to make a braided round loaf, cut dough into six equal pieces and roll them each into thinner ropes 12 inches long.
• Braid the challah: If you are making a classic challah with three ropes, just braid them into a loaf, tucking the edges under. To braid it into a round loaf, first lay three ropes parallel to one another on the work surface, leaving 1 inch between them. Take one of the remaining ropes and hold it perpendicular to the three ropes, across the center. Weave that rope through the three ropes, as if you were creating a lattice for a pie; leave the edges free. Repeat with remaining two ropes. The resulting shape should look somewhat like a pound or number sign, but with a woven center. Then, starting from the ends of the three ropes closest to you, braid the loose edges of the ropes and pinch the ends together. Repeat with the remaining ends of the ropes; you should end up with a lattice in the middle with 4 braids radiating out from it. Tuck the braids underneath the lattice to create a round loaf, place on a small rimmed baking sheet, then brush with egg wash. Let rise uncovered for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the middle. Gently brush a second coat of egg wash on the dough, then bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until challah is a deep rich brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. (When it starts smelling like freshly baked bread, start checking.) Cool on a wire rack before serving.