Put half of the flour, all the yeast and salt
in a gallon size zipper-lock bag or a large
sturdy plastic bag (younger child may need another
person to hold it tightly). Force all the air
out of the bag, close and work the bag with
your fingers to mix the ingredients together.
ADD:
Carefully squeeze out air, seal bag and work
bag with fingers until well mixed.
ADD:
Add the other half of your flour. You will
mix well, then watch to see if you
need any extra flour. If you do, only add 1/4
cup at a time. The dough should feel soft like
new “play-dough,” and will pull away
from the sides of the bag and stick to itself.
If you add too much flour the dough will be
too hard, like clay, and will not rise as well.
Work the bag, mixing well.
Rest the dough (and you) for ten minutes. Spray
or lightly oil cookie sheet.
TURN OUT:
Turn out dough onto light floured surface (about
one cup of either flour).
Sprinkle some flour on top and knead several
minutes until smooth and
elastic. ‘Knead’ means pushing the
dough forward with the ‘heel’ of the
palm of your hand, then using your fingers to
pull it back over itself. Repeat,
turning dough as needed.
Break off:
Break off about one third dough. This will
be for your top braid. Separate it into 3 equal
parts and roll between your hands to shape into
8" or 9". long ropes. Braid the ropes.
Now take the big portion of dough and divide
it into 3 parts. Shape these into 14" to
15" ropes and braid. Place the larger braid
on cookie sheet first and put the smaller one
lengthwise on top.
Let Rise:
Let rise until double in size. This will take
45 minutes to 1 hour away from
a draft.
Preheat:
Preheat your oven to 325o. This takes 7 to
8 minutes. If you don’t, the bread will
get too brown on the bottom before it’s
done on top.
For Added SHINE:
For added shine and color, you can beat one
egg white and use a basting brush to gently
‘paint’ your challah braids on the
top and sides.
Bake:
Bake on the middle rack for 45 to 55 minutes
until nicely brown (ovens vary). This loaf is
equal to two medium loaves. It weighs about
2 1/4 pounds. If your family is small, you may
want to halve the recipe.
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