I just baked this, and now I can't wait to eat it!
My recipe is below:
Ingredients
- 8 cups of bread flour
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 2.5 cups water (slightly warmer than room temperature, but not hot)
- 2 eggs for the dough and 1 for the wash at the end
- 4 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon salt
1: Dissolve the yeast in the warm water
2: Add the eggs, honey, salt and oil to water/yeast mixture; stir
3: Add in the flour 1 cup at a time, stirring each addition until you get to around cup 5 or 6 (when it gets hard to stir), then switch to mixing it with your hands. Once all the flour is in, roll it into a nice ball until the dough is well mixed (no flour lumps). Depending on how sticky it is, you might need to add a little extra flour, if it sticks to your hands and feels messy, add flour 1/4 cup at a time (humidity in the room messes with the texture, so it's hard to plan for). The perfect texture will spring back when you poke it.
4: Cover your dough ball with a damp, hot towel, and let rise for 1.5 hours.
If Not Ready To Eat It All: After 1.5 hours, if you want to not eat it all at once (this makes 4 good sized challahs) freeze the extra dough (a Tupperware or ZipLock bag both work well).
For Eating ASAP: The dough you want to use right away can either be put in the fridge over night to be baked the next day, or punched down, re-balled, and allowed another 1.5 - 3 hours to rise (it isn't super picky, so don't stress over setting a timer or whatnot), after that second rising, braid (for beautification reasons only, can also be baked in a lump, like normal bread, and will taste the same), then egg it (this is what gives it the pretty golden crust) After you braid/egg, it can chill or go right in the oven (or wait for an hour or so... again, not that picky)
Oven should be around 340 degrees (F) and it takes about 22-25 minuted depending on how big they are / how hot your oven is (mine is not a convection oven, so if yours is, I would lower the temp or be ready to take it out sooner). Keep in mind, it goes from perfect to inedible and burnt really quickly, so don't go too far away.
Whatever you don't eat, put in a covered dish on the counter, don't refrigerate your challah, it will never be the same again, that's why I like to freeze the parts I don't think we will eat.
Using the Frozen Dough: About a day before you want to use the frozen dough, put it in the fridge (it takes weirdly long to defrost), then pick up at the "For Eating ASAP" instructions.
If you have any questions, let me know! If you try it, also let me know! Please upvote and follow if you want to see more recipes like this one!
Edit: Only out of the oven 3 minutes and this is what my fiance and his brother did to it:
