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Challah:
1 cup warm water
1-1/2 tablespoons dry yeast or 1-1/2 to 2 packages
About 5 cups flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs, room temperature
Onion Filling:
Dissolve yeast in the warm water.
Stir in 1-1/2 cups flour and sugar.
Leave in bowl to proof for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix 2-1/2 cups flour, and salt.
Cut butter or margarine into flour mixture.
When yeast has proofed, add the eggs and the flour mixture and start the mixer running with the dough hook on lowest speed. Add more flour as needed, I usually add about another cup,
but I'm high up in the mountains in a very dry climate; when I was on the east coast I may have added more flour.
When dough pulls away cleanly from sides of bowl, leave mixer to run for about 7 minutes. Then turn out of bowl, knead briefly, and put into greased bowl to rise. After it has doubled in size, punch it down and shape into 2 challah loaves. Let rise a second time, then brush with beaten egg before baking.
Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes.
Poster's Notes:
For the sugar, could be less, but you do need some sugar.
If you like a really sweet challah, you can add another 1/4 cup sugar to this mixture.
I make onion challah using this same recipe. (In fact, I make one onion and
one regular challah each week--unless the son who doesn't like onion
challah is out of town, in which case we make two onion challahs.) I flatten the
"ropes" for braiding the challah and put a little filling in, then make them
back into ropes before braiding. The rest of the onion mixture goes on top of
the loaf. I generally brush the challah with egg, then combine the rest of the
egg with the filling before putting it on the challah. Baking instructions are
the same.
Posted by Joan Horowitz
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A
1/2 cup dehydrated onions
4 teaspoons poppy seeds
2 tablespoons oil
For the flour, I generally use half unbleached and half whole wheat, but all unbleached works fine.