BRAIDED CHALLAH RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl with 1½ teaspoons sea salt, stir to combine then make a well in the centre.
  2. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat. Next, pour in 1½ tablespoons of oil and 350ml water into the well and add most of the beaten egg (saving a little for egg washing later). Mix with a fork, then bring together with your hands to form a ball.
  3. On a lightly dusted surface, knead the dough for 10 minutes until smooth and springy. Be careful not to add too much flour here to prevent the dough drying out.
  4. Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
  5. To braid your challah, divide the dough into two balls. Put one aside covered with a damp tea towel and cut the other ball into 4 even pieces. Roll each piece into a thin sausage-shape, roughly 60cm long.
  6. Place two of the strands next to each other vertically. Weave the remaining two strands horizontally over and under the vertical strands to form a cross shape.
  7. Working with the top pair of strands, take the strand that is underneath and place over the strand next to it. Do the same with the next pair of strands and continue this around the cross. Once all four pairs have been crossed over, do the same in the reverse direction – clockwise/anti-clockwise depending on your strands. The rule to go by is to always place the underneath strand over its pair.
  8. Continue this process until you have used up the dough. As you start to run out of dough tuck the ends under the loaf to form a neat braided ball. Place on a lined baking tray.
  9. Repeat the braiding technique with your second ball of dough.
  10. Cover both loaves loosely with a damp tea towel and leave to rise for a further 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
  11. Use the remaining egg to glaze the challah. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and bake for 40 minutes, or until golden. Adding extra egg wash halfway, if needed.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 1 cup warm water. Separate 2 eggs; refrigerate the whites. Place egg yolks and eggs in a large bowl. Add 2/3 cup honey, oil, salt, yeast mixture, 3 cups flour and remaining warm water; beat on medium speed 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Pour boiling water over raisins in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Knead in raisins. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1-1/2 hours., Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Divide 1 portion into 6 pieces. Roll each into a 16-in. rope. Place ropes parallel on a greased baking sheet; pinch ropes together at the top. , To braid, take the rope on the left and carry it over the 2 ropes beside it, then slip it under the middle rope and carry it over the last 2 ropes. Lay the rope down parallel to the other ropes; it is now on the far right side. Repeat these steps until you reach the end. As the braid moves to the right, you can pick up the loaf and recenter it on your work surface as needed. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under. For a fuller loaf, using your hands, push the ends of the loaf closer together. Repeat process with remaining dough. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 30 minutes., Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, whisk the 2 chilled egg whites and honey with water; brush over loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 30-35 minutes or until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pans to a wire rack to cool.