I "Hallah" for Challah!

This week since I hadn't made bread in a while I decided to make something different. Also, I had a lot of eggs to use and I wanted to use them in a delicious way! I had made this recipe before- given to me by my cousin Helen who clipped it out of the Oregonian newspaper a while back and sent me a copy. However, I think that my "new and improved" version is even better!

This is one of the softest, best tasting, fluffiest breads I have ever made! And, it is so easy to make!

The original version is not whole wheat and it also contains less yeast than my version. I have found that adding more yeast helps a bread rise more, be softer and fluffier- so I decided to double the amount of yeast in the recipe and got fabulous results!

Try it for yourself and you will see!

This is great hot out of the oven with butter on it, or toasted the next day- or for sweet sandwiches such as peanut butter and jelly. Enjoy! Below you can see a picture of the loaves ready to be put into the oven! Yum!


Whole Wheat Challah Bread:

Makes 2 large loaves

1 1/2 cups very hot tap water
8-9 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons sea salt
4 eggs plus 1 additional egg yolk (divided)
4 cups unbleached white bread flour (I used King Arthur)
2 cups whole wheat flour (Again I used King Arthur)
1 tablespoon water

Sesame or poppy seeds

1. In a large bowl combine warm water, yeast and brown sugar. When the mixture is foamy and bubbly, add canola oil, honey, salt, 3 eggs and the additional egg yolk.

2. Stir in 3 cups of the bread flour and 2 cups of the whole wheat flour 1 cup at a time. I stirred this mixture by hand with a wooden spoon. Stir until the dough begins to stretch as it is stirred. You can also use an electric mixer if you like. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand. Work in an additional cup of the bread flour. Be sure to only add as much as needed to make a smooth dough.

3. Oil a clean bowl or spray it with nonstick spray. Roll the dough around the bowl to coat the surface. Cover the dough with a clean, damp cloth and let it rise for about 2 hours. Punch down the dough.

4. Shape the dough into 2 loaves. I left my 2 loaves very large. I didn't stretch them out into long, skinny loaves. I divided each loaf into 3 "strands" and braided them loosely. Cover the loaves and let them rise for another 45 minutes to an hour.

5. Make an egg wash by beating the remaining egg with the 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the egg wash over the loaves.

6. Heat the oven to 375F. I have a convection oven so mine was set to 350F. Bake the loaves for 15 minutes on the middle rack. Then, brush with more egg wash and sprinkle the loaves with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Be sure to check the loaves often so that they don't over bake. The loaves should be golden brown. Cool on wire racks.

Enjoy your bread!!