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2 eggs
Egg wash:
Mix the yeast (I use the Rapid Rise yeast, either Fleischmann's or Red Star) with the sugar in a small bowl. Pour in 1/4 cup of the warm water. Stir thoroughly to dissolve the yeast. Set aside until foamy.
Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, oil and honey. If you put the oil into the measuring cup first, pour it into the bowl, and then measure the honey, the honey comes right out of the measuring cup easily. When the yeast mixture is foamy, pour into the egg mixture. Rinse out the yeast bowl with the remaining 1 cup of warm water and pour into the egg mixture. Sift in the flour and salt. Stir with a WOODEN spoon until dough forms a ball.
Turn dough ball and unincorporated flour out onto floured cutting board and knead until dough is not sticky. It should be fairly soft, not dry or tough to knead, and feel kind of satiny. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl. Cover with wax paper and set aside out of draughts. Allow to rise until doubled. When double in size, remove from bowl, knead briefly to remove air, and reform into a ball and return to the bowl to rise again.
When doubled, divide the dough in half. Set aside one piece. With the other piece, divide into pieces for braiding. Form the challah and set aside to rise, about 30 minutes. Do the same with the other half of the dough. When risen, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with seeds if desired, and bake for 35 minutes at 350°F. Challah is done when it is browned and sounds hollow when tapped.
Posted by Debbie Sichel
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup oil
2 tsp. active dry yeast (or one packet)
1 tbsp. sugar
1-1/4 cup warm water
5 cups flour
2 tsp. salt
Poppy seeds or Sesame seeds (optional)
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water.