Holiday Projects

• SHABBAT - Challah by David Kahan
  
  Challah is a type of Jewish bread that Jews have been eating for over 2,000 years.
  It's very traditional.  You've really got to press the dough as hard as you can.
  It takes all your strength, all your weight, every trick you can think of.  The
  kneading is the most important part of a successbul bread.  So you just have to knead away!
  
  Ingredients:
  2 envelopes dry yeast
  1/4 cup warm water
  1-1/2 teaspoons salt
  1/2 cup sugar
  1/2 cup oil
  1-1/4 cups water
  6 cups all-purpose flour
  3 egg yolks, beaten
  
  Directions
    1. Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water.  Set aside.
    2. Combine the salt, sugar, oil, 1-1/4 cups water, and 2 cups of the flour.
        Beat thoroughly with a spoon.
    3. Add the yeast and the beaten egg yolks. Mix well.
    4. Add the remaining 4 cups of flour to form a soft dough.
    5. Knead on a lightly floured bread board until shiny (about 15 minutes).
    6. Put in a lightly greased bowl. Grease top of dough and cover with a towel.
        Let the dough rise in a warm place until it is double in size (1 to 1-1/2 hours).
    7. Punch down the dough. Knead. Cover. Put in a warm place until double in
        size (about 1 hour).
    8. Punch down again. Divid into six pieces.
    9. Roll pieces into long strands. For each loaf, braid three strands together
        tightly (just the way you braid hair).
  10. Put the two challahs on a  baking sheet. Cover and let them rise in a warm
        place until they are double in size (about 1 hour).
  11. Brush them with some beaten egg yolk. This will give them a nice brown
        crust.
  12. Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown (about 40 minutes).
  13. Allow to cool.
  14. Eat! Enjoy!