Four Braid Challah

I've been on a little Challah kick lately to which I'm putting down to drooling at the most wonderful, braided breads from Brydie and Celia.  Feeling fairly flat on the bread front (quite a tongue-twister, eh?),  it was great to get a kick of inspiration up my backside from these two lovely ladies. I do have a soft spot for challah, or 'hhhhallah' as I have heard it pronounced, with a 'h' sound starting deep in the back of ones throat. And to let you in on a little secret, I just love to make it so that I can walk around the house asking if anyone wants "another piece of .... chhhhhalllah?". :)

Four braid Challah

What I like most about this bread is that it calls for eggs, of which we have an abundance of at the moment! If you decide to give this bread a go, I hope you enjoy making it as much as I do. Full shaping instructions can be found at The Shiksa in the Kitchen , link kindly shared by Celia.

Ingredients
530g bread flour
1/4 cup sugar (raw is fine)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast
150ml lukewarm water
3 x 60g eggs, lightly whisked
1/3 cup canola or other light flavoured vegetable oil

Combine all of the ingredients and mix by hand or machine (I used machine). It can be quite sticky, so add a little extra flour if you think it needs it. Not too much though, it still needs to be soft and pliable. Knead for 10 minutes or so, until the dough springs back when pressed and place into an oiled bowl, cover and place somewhere warm until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Remove the dough and shape according to your preference.

For this dough I chose to try a four-braid. The dough was cut into four equal pieces and each piece was rolled into a long log, about 40cm long. The four log strands were pressed together at the top and then braided down the length of the loaf (see link above for full shaping instructions).

Braided and ready for 2nd rise

The loaf was then covered again and placed in a warm spot to rise again, until nearly doubled in size. While this is happening, the oven can be preheated to 180c and when the dough has risen, brushed with an eggwash of 1 egg yolk whisked with a little water.  Bake for around 30-35 minutes until a deep golden brown and the smell of chhhallah is filling your house.

Fresh from the oven - the 'stringy' bread

My daughter calls it the 'stringy bread', because of the way it forms little 'strings' when pulled apart while still warm (I'm sorry, but we're not letting this one cool down!).  Sweet enough to enjoy with honey or jam, and not too sweet that it doesn't make a great medium for holding cold meats and cheese......