Breads and Pastries – Challah

Without getting all profound this early in the morning, there is much to be said for the connectedness I feel to my God whenever I make bread. Wherever you are and whatever your beliefs, it would be hard to find someone who does not appreciate the meditative effect of the simple act of turning such basic ingredients as flour and yeast into such a well-loved staple food.

I get quite zen when kneading dough. I get into the rhythm of kneading and often give thanks that this simple act gives such sustenance and life to my loved ones. Agnostic, atheist or devout, no-one can deny the way good food tastes when it is prepared with integrity, has love added into the mixture and is served to people you love.

Which brings me to  Challah. Traditionally served at Shabbat or the Sabbath evening meal on a Friday evening in kosher households, this is, as you might expect, an enormous loaf of bread. It’s generous in size and it’s sweetly perfumed. The original recipe given to me by my friend Alizah was double the quantities here and included instructions for a sweet syrupy glaze brushed on after baking. I really think the bread is so sweet the glaze is un-necessary but everything else about it is heavenly.

Share it at your next gathering of friends and family.

Makes a very large loaf, about 1.2 kg in size

Adapted from a recipe by My Big Kitchen, a community kosher kitchen in Bondi Junction, NSW.

INGREDIENTS

1 kg plain flour; 2 tsp sea salt; 2 tbsp (30g) dried yeast; ¾ cup sugar; 2 cups (500ml) warm water; 1 egg; 1/3 cup vegetable oil; 1 egg,extra, lightly beaten

METHOD

Place flour in a large bowl and add salt, yeast and sugar. Make a well in the centre. Add the egg, oil and half to three-quarters of the water to bring it all together into a soft and sticky dough. You will need to mix it well with your hands to thoroughly combine it all and you may need to add a little more water or flour through the kneading.

Turn out the briefly combined dough onto a floured bench top and knead for five minutes. The dough is very sticky and you will need to add a little more flour as you go. Stop adding flour once your hands no longer stick to the dough. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth and softens to the same tenderness as your ear lobe.

Brush a little vegetable oil around the base and sides of a large clean bowl and place the dough in the bowl, cover with clingwrap and leave to prove in a warm spot in the kitchen for the next hour or until the dough doubles in size.

Pre-heat oven to 190°C. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.

Turn out the dough onto a clean and lightly floured bench top and knead it briefly to knock it back to its original size. Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll each piece of dough into a long strand about 40-50cm long.

To Braid:

Press the ends of all four strands together, then fan them out, facing towards you.

Pass the left strand to the right, under the two strands next to it and then back over the strand to the left of it (the one closest to it)

Pass the strand on the far right under the two strands next to it (the two you have just braided), then back over the strand to the right of it (the one closest to it)

Repeat these two steps, working from left to right and back again, until the strands have been braided. Pinch the ends together and tuck each pinched end under the ends of the loaf.

Place the loaf of braided bread on the prepared baking sheet. Brush liberally with the lightly beaten egg. Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes until it is a glossy dark brown. Check after this time – it may need a further five minutes baking in total.

Serve while it’s still slightly warm. You can slice it if you want, but it also pulls apart perfectly. Just make sure you share this with a lot of people.

COST

$3.80 for a very large loaf