6 BRAID CHALLAH RECIPE

Steps:

• Recipe makes 2 loafs.
• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon (13 grams) 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, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for it, though it can be done.).
• 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.
• At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves. If you've never braided a challah before, you may benefit from watching a video on youtube or facebook or whatever.
• 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. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.
• Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. (If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take it out when it hits an internal temperature of 190 degrees.) Cool loaves on a rack.
• Note: Any of the three risings can be done in the fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed flavor. When you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature before moving onto the next step.
• Round or straight braid? Raisins or skip them? Straight loaves of braided challah are eaten throughout the year–typically on the Sabbath–round challahs, often studded with raisins, are served for the New Year and the other High Holidays that follow.

Steps:

• "These are 5 recipes that I formatted from http://www.pbs.org/mpt/jewishcooking/. Joan Nathan did a 5 part series on Jewish Cooking in America. Included with the recipes were actual photos of the preparation. In a large container dissolve the yeast and a pinch of sugar in 1 cup of the warm water (105 to 115 degrees) and let stand for 10 minutes. Place the flour in a large bowl. Add the dissolved yeast and stir with a spoon. Add the remaining sugar, salt, 2 eggs,* and the vegetable shortening. Beat about one minute and then mix by hand. When the dough begins to leave the side of the bowl, turn it onto a lightly floured surface to knead. You can also use a dough hook in a mixer to blend and knead. Knead for about 15 minutes or until soft, adding more water or flour as necessary. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, turning the dough over so that the entire surface is lightly greased; cover the bowl with a cloth. Let rise in a warm place (75 to 80 degrees) for about an hour or until the dough doubles in size. Punch down and divide into 2 balls. Divide each ball into 6 snake-like pieces and roll out, about 12 inches long. Place all 6 strands on a board side by side, pressing the: 6 ends together. Divide into 2 groups of 3 strands. Now braid the 6 strands. Take the strand from the extreme left and place it over the other 2 and into the center. Take the second from the right and place it over the top to the far left. Take the one from the far right to what is now the center of your 6 strips. Then take the second one from the left and put it to the far right and take the far outside on the left to what is now the center. Go back to the right side and take the second from the right and put it over to the far left. Always work with the 2 outside strands. Continue braiding until the dough is used up. When you have finished squeeze the ends together. Repeat with the second loaf. For those who want less of a challenge, divide each ball into 3 strands and braid. Place the outside strip over the middle one, then under the third. Pull the strips tight. Continue braiding. (Mr. Loeb braids half way through and then flips the challah, continuing to braid to the end. This way he gets a more even braid.) When finished braiding, tuck in the ends. Repeat with the remaining 3 strips. Using a pastry brush, brush the challah with the remaining egg mixed with water and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. After you have brushed the bread, dip your second finger in the egg wash and indent the top of the braids. Then dip your finger in the seeds and touch the indented area again to make a more striking design. Sprinkle a cookie sheet with cornmeal and place the loaves on top. Cover with a plastic sheet and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until golden. *To reduce the cholesterol you can use 1 egg white and 1 whole egg instead of 2 eggs. Recipe by: Joan Nathan/ Manfred Loeb Posted to JEWISH-FOOD digest by Bob & Carole Walberg on Nov 06, 1998, "