Fool-proof Challah Recipe

Ingredients:
 

• 3 cups of water
• 50 grams of yeast (or 4 teaspoons dry yeast)
• one cup of sugar or honey (or a mixture of both)
• 3 eggs (this recipe also works without eggs!)
• one cup of oil
• 3 tablespoons of salt (don't try to reduce the salt in the recipe)
• 2.2 - 2.5 kilo flour (or 1 5 lb. bag of flour ( approx. 12 cups))
  (I use whole wheat, but this works with white flour or with a mixture of white and whole wheat.)

If you like savory challah, you might want to add a mixture of fried onions, garlic and olives. In this case sprinkle with zatar rather than cinnamon, and reduce the sugar by half or even less according to taste. Don't eliminate the sugar completely, or else the dough will be heavy (the sugar activates the yeast).

1) Dilute 50 grams of yeast in one cup of warm water, one cup of flour and one cup of sugar. Wait until it froths -- about 10 minutes. (This is a perfect opportunity to call an elderly friend or relative.)

2) Add 2 more cups of water, one cup of oil, 3 eggs, and one bag of flour. Mix using the dough hooks on your mixer, or the two arms God gave you.

3) Add 3 tablespoons of salt and the rest of the flour. Keep on mixing until you discover that you are kneading and not mixing. Keep at it until the dough is smooth and not sticky. (Add the onion mix if you wish savory challahs.)

4) Do something else for at least 3 hours, or until the dough doubles in size. You can cook the rest of your Shabbat food, or put the dough in the fridge, take a nap, and go on to the next step in your day.

5) Punch the dough down again, then let it rise again. (It will go quicker the second time around.)

6) Take the piece of dough that you will be separating and consecrating as challah. Say the blessing if the amount of flour used is sufficient (see above), and dispose of it as directed. Make use of the holiness of the moment to let some joy wash over you -- as you celebrate God's goodness, the vitality of the dough, and your place as a link in the tradition that began with Sarah.

7) Roll into braids, knot into rolls, or shape any way you wish. The tradition of braiding challah (with either three or six strands per loaf) goes back to an earlier custom mentioned by the Arizal of using 12 loaves, to symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. By braiding the dough, you use either 12 strands per meal, or 12 strands for the two main meals.

8) Let the twisted loaves rise for about 30 minutes, then put onto baking pans lightly sprinkled with cinnamon. Brush with egg yolk diluted with water, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

9) Bake at an initially high heat and reduce to medium heat after 10 minutes. The challahs are done when they look done and sound hollow when you tap them. Depending on their size, this will take between 30-60 minutes.

Shabbat Shalom!