• Obsessed with my new Bosch mixer.

    Decided to create a brand new recipe at the busiest time of year.

    Am I crazy.

    Yes.

    Was it worth it?

    Absolutely!!!!

  • Ingredients

    1. 2 heaping Tbsp. yeast
    2. 3/4 sugar
    3. 4 c water
    4. 1 cup oil
    5. 4 eggs
    6. 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
    7. 1/2 cup honey
    8. 3/4 cup sugar
    9. 2 Tbsp salt
    10. 2 kilo + 2-3 c flour (depending on how humid your kitchen is you may need more or less. The more humid, the more flour.)

    Instructions

    1. In a very large bowl, or the bowl of your mixer, add yeast sugar and warm water.
    2. Set aside and allow yeast to bloom for 8 minutes.
    3. While yeast is blooming, combine oil, eggs, sugar, honey and vanilla.
    4. Mix well.
    5. When yeast mixture is very bubbly, pour in oil mixture.
    6. Stir.
    7. Add a little less than half the bag of flour (or 1, 1 kilo bag) to the bowl.
    8. Turn the mixer on low or using a spoon, mix the flour into the liquid very well.
    9. Mix for a good 2-3 minutes to help the gluten start to develop.
    10. Add salt.
    11. Mix till incorporated.
    12. Add in 3/4 of the flour that’s left in the bag or the second 1 kilo bag of flour + additional 2 cups and mix.
    13. If not using a machine, mix with a spoon until it becomes too hard to mix. At this point pour dough out onto your counter.
    14. Knead for 8-10 minutes, either in the machine or by hand working in the remaining 1 cup of flour as needed.
    15. Once dough is smooth and elastic, place back into the bowl or transfer out of your mixer into a lightly oiled bowl to rise.
    16. Pour a little bit of oil into your hand and rub all over the dough.
    17. Place a piece of saran wrap directly on dough and cover the bowl with a towel.
    18. Allow to rise until it has at least doubled in size and then remove Saran Wrap, punch down, replace Saran Wrap and let it rise again.
    19. (You can repeat this steps as many times as you need until you are ready to braid the dough.)
    20. Braid your dough, place on sheet pan or in a tin and cover with a towel.
    21. Let them rise for 45 minutes to an hour. (Don’t skip this step.)
    22. Preheat oven to 350f (180c). (For circle challahs I lower the oven to 175c)
    23. Brush challah with beaten egg and top as you like.
    24. Bake for 25-45 minutes until challahs are deeply golden and cooked.
    25. Remove pan from the oven, and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
    26. Transfer challahs to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

    Freezing tips

    1. I like wrap my challah individually in tin foil.
    2. If I make them on Friday, I leave out what I need for shakos, but another day I make them, even Thursday, I freeze.

    To thaw

    1. Remove from freezer a few hours before serving.
    2. Place wrapped challah on the plata or in the oven to reheat with the rest of your food!
    3. Serve warm and enjoy!

    TIPS

    1. 1. Use a 4 c measuring cup to measure your water that also has a 3/4 c measure on it. After you pour out the water, measure your oil and add the rest of your ingredients to the cup. No need to dirty another bowl!
    2. 2. The more you knead the dough the smoother and more elastic the dough will become. Be patient. If after 7 or 8 minutes of kneading the dough feels very dry or too sticky add a drop more water or flour. Just remember you can always add but you can’t take out!
    3. 3. Make sure the all the dough is covered with the Saran Wrap to prevent air from drying it out.
    4. 4. I like to let my dough rise a few times for a fluffier challah. Let it rise completely, punch it down and then let it rise again. Do this at least one time, and up to three or four times!

    TOPPING IDEAS

    1. – Everything spice
    2. – Egg wash and then a sprinkle of sugar
    3. -Minced garlic, parsley and chilli flakes
    4. -Roasted garlic, or garlic confit on the bottom ( place the garlic in the bottom of a greased challah pan, put dough on top, egg wash and sprinkle some salt and paprika. bake as usual. The garlic bakes into the bottom of the dough and it is heavenly!)
    5. -Crumb topping ( 2 c flour, 1&1/2 c sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, a scant 1/2 c canola oil: mix together to form crumbs. if too dry add oil little by little.)

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