CHALLAH FOR YOUR MAMA

 Okay, so I've never made bread before.

I've always been intimidated about using any kind

of yeast. Sounds scary, smells funny & is not a girls best friend.

However, I decided to get over it and try to make some. 

I'm an American & love me some good bread, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

 After looking up a few different recipes it seemed like Challah was one of the easier

ones to try to make, although time consuming.

 CHALLAH AKA BRAIDED EGG BREAD

Ingredients:

3/4 cup plus 2 tsp. heated milk 115 degrees

1/4 cup plus 1 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. active drive yeast

4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter

plus more for greasing the pan

2 eggs

4 cups of flour

1 1/2 tsp. of salt

1 egg yolk

sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:

Stir together the heated milk, 1teaspoon of sugar & the packet of yeast in 

a large bowl; let sit until foamy.

In a small bowl mix together the melted butter & eggs.

Add this to the yeast mixture & stir.

Then add the flour, remaining sugar & salt.

Mix with your hands until a dough forms.

Move the dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth.

Once smooth move the dough to a lightly greased bowl & cover it with plastic wrap.

Let the dough sit for about an hour until it increases in size.

Uncover, punch the dough down and recover for another 30 minutes.

Uncover the dough & divide it into 4 equal parts.

Roll each portion into long 16"ish ropes.

Lay them side by side, braid the ropes & pinch the ends.

Move the braided bread to a lined baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap 

for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

After about an hour mix together an egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water in 

a small bowl.

 Brush the mixture over the surface of the loaf.

Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Transfer to a wire rack and let it cool.

I like to put honey on mine.

2.5 out of 5 stars

✭✭☆☆☆

TASTE TESTERS:

LAUREN: This was my first time making bread & won't be my last... even though it was SO time consuming! It looked really pretty but turned out really dense & a bit crumbly.

CJ: This was my first time trying Challah so I don't really know what to compare it to.  It was good.  Semi-dense, kinda sweet, looked amazing too.