Mostly due to the fact that I've made it so many times I don't need it anymore, but partially because it really does require a lot of adapting to the specific dough at hand. It is the best eggless challah recipe, and when I want a good bread in the middle of the week (like I did with this one) I just put it in a loaf pan and voila! It magically becomes the perfect loaf for a sandwich or french toast.
I have given this recipe out more than any other one I own, and I received it from a rebbetzin (a Rabbi's wife) in Pittsburgh. I've since adapted it to my own liking, but I always think of her when making bread because mine rarely achieve the same state of perfection that her eggless challah never failed to meet.
The basic thing to remember for this recipe are:
Don't worry about adding more water and flour, the consistency of the dough is what's important
Kneading more is better than kneading less
Double rising is awesome
And with that forewarning, away we go!
Ingredients:
4 cups + 2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 packet yeast
1/4 cup oil (I use olive but vegetable works just fine too)
1 Tb salt
1-3 cups water
1 Tb vanilla (optional)
cinnamon
2/3 cup walnuts chopped
1/2 cup raisins
Directions:
First you're going to want to go get some patience. I'm serious. Don't do this quickly or it will fail. And failed challah is so horribly depressing. Sometimes I get in the mood to make bread, but have to talk myself out of it because I'm too hungry and I know I'll mess it up.
Now that you've go that on hand you can focus on the actual baking. Start by putting the whole packet of yeast in a glass and sprinkle a pinch to a tablespoon of sugar on top of it.
Now fill the glass halfway with lukewarm water. Too hot and you'll kill the yeast, too cold and it won't necessarily activate it. Basically, if it's burning your hand when you put your finger under the faucet, it's too hot. If it's cool enough that you'd still drink it, it's probably too cold. Now set the glass down (no need to stir it) and get out your flour.
Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. I always like to add in a few teaspoons of cinnamon at this point, though this all depends on how much you like cinnamon. If you add more than a two teaspoons it starts to color the dough a bit and sometimes by the time it comes out of the oven it looks like you've used whole wheat flour. Not a problem at all, but just be aware that the more cinnamon you add the darker the dough will look.
Now you can add in the yeast which should look like this:
Along with the water/yeast mixture you can add the oil and vanilla and start to mix it all together.
Refill the empty yeast glass with warm water and slowly pour it in as you continue to mix the dough. Once the flour is fairly mixed into the dough you can stop adding water and start kneading.
I like to put a little flour on the counter top and continue to slowly knead in more flour to the dough as I go along. Kneading for at least 10 minutes is ideal. You're literally pushing air into the dough so that it can rise, so the more air that you get in there, the fluffier the dough will be. I guess if you're going for a very dense loaf you could choose to knead it for less, but even though 5-8 minutes is the minimum you'd want to do.
Now coat the mixing bowl with oil (you can use pam too) and drop your rounded dough into the bowl. Turn it over once or twice so the whole dough is covered in a nice layer of oil. This prevents it from sticking to the bowl or towel and from drying out. Cover the dough with a towel and let it sit for at least 8 hours. I like to make the dough at night and then leave it out while I'm sleeping. It helps because otherwise I'd spend the 8 hours thinking about how much I want to make my bread RIGHT NOW.
In the morning I punch the dough down
and roll it out into a large rectangle (this is pretty similar to the apple bread recipe I posted earlier).
Sprinkle with a nice layer of cinnamon, walnuts, and raisins.
Now roll it up like a cinnamon bun and squish it into a loaf pan.
If you're making challah I recommend making a much long and thinner rectangle, rolling it once so the nuts are inside, and then snaking it in like a snail shell or the challahs around Rosh HaShanah. Once you have your shaped loaf, cover it and let it sit for another 2 hours. I went out to the Library of Congress to distract myself because two hours is a very long time and watching bread rise is less fun than watching water boil.
Once the loaf has properly risen, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. I like to add a coat of oil, butter, egg yolk, or pam to the top of the loaf so it colors nicely but this step is not necessary. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the loaf is golden on top. When you slice it open it's all so nice and pretty.
See, now wasn't it worth all that effort? I challenge you to buy a loaf that looks this good at any old Safeway. Really. Go ahead and try.
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