I got this recipe many years ago from an old friend. She made this Challah for Rosh Hashanah because it’s especially sweet but you can use it whenever. Suse taught me how to bake and how cooking for your friends and loved ones is a way to show them you love them. Every time I bake this bread, I think of her.
Suse’s Challah (3 points)
1 cup hot water
2 packages dry yeast
1/2 cup honey
5 cups flour
1/4 cup oil (I use canola)
1/2 cup raisins
2 eggs
1. Add oil to water
2. Add honey, stir until dissolved
3. Sprinkle yeast over mixture
4. Stir once to moisten
5. Let rise (5 to 10 minutes)
6. Add 2 cups flour to mixture
7. Add egg, raisins and rest of flour
8. Knead until smooth and elastic
9. Let rise 1 hour
10. Make challah (2 small round ones can also be made haven’t tried braided yet – see pictures below)
11. Put on cookie sheet
12. Let rise until double in size (about 1 hour)
13. Brush w/ beaten egg yolk
14. Bake until golden brown (about 30 – 40 minutes at 350)
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 153 Calories; 3g Fat (17.4% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 28g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 18mg Cholesterol; 8mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.
Making a Round Challah
Personally, I find round challahs so much easier to make/shape than the braided ones. But just in case you’re unsure, here are some pictures.
First, roll the dough out into a long, thick rope.
Then, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, pile though dough down upon itself in a circle.
Going higher with each successive round.
Until you’re left with an almost round, conical shape.
Then brush with the egg wash and bake.