Baking is a not so recent passion of mine, and the latest in this series of adventures, is baking my own bread. I considered all the breads that could be baked at home, and asked her which bread should we try. She suggested we make challah (pronounced (kh)hallah), which is a traditional Jewish bread. The prospect of using home-baked challah bread to make stuffed french toast seemed very alluring to me, and I needed no other encouragement.
Here is what you need:
- 3 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
- 1 pouch active dry yeast (about 2 and a quarter tsp)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 3 eggs (plus one extra for coating)
Mix the quarter cup of flour, the yeast, and the warm water in a large bowl and let it stand for 10-20 minutes until it begins to foam. Add the vegetable oil, sugar, and the three eggs (one at a time), and whisk well.
Now add the rest of the flour (one cup at a time) and mix well using a spatula till the mixture starts coming together.
Now start kneading it with your hands, adding extra flour as required in order to get it together into a consistent lump (I had to add a fair amount of extra flour while kneading).
Knead it on a well floured surface for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile grease a large bowl with a little oil and transfer the kneaded lump of dough into the bowl. Move it around so that the dough is coated nicely with oil.
Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and keep it in a warm place for about 2 hours. The dough should double in size. (Compare the picture below to the one above)
Punch this risen dough down with your fist and cover it again. Leave it to rise for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile soak the raisins in a cup of warm water. After the 30 minutes are over, incorporate them into the dough and gently fold it a couple of times. Add some extra flour if the dough seems too oily/moist, and fold for a minute or two. Cut the dough into three roughly equal sized pieces.
Roll out the three pieces of dough into approximately 10-inch long ropes.
Now comes the most fun part: place all the three ropes parallel to each other on a greased baking tray, and pinch them together at one end. Now braid the three ropes together (like you might have seen women braid their hair).
Break the remaining egg into a bowl, and coat it carefully over the braided loaf. Let it rise for another45 minutes to an hour. When poked with your finger, the dough should not spring back, and should stay dented. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Apply a second coat of the egg after the dough has risen. Ideally the egg coating is done using a pastry brush, but in the absence of one, use your fingers.
Bake it on the middle rack in the pre-heated oven for about 40 minutes. If you notice the top browning too fast, tent it with aluminium foil. The baked loaf should make a hollow sound when knocked.
Update: You should let the bread cool down for about 20-30 minutes once it is out of the oven, before slicing it.