Breaking Into Bread

As a person who loves good food and entertaining friends and family, there's nothing that makes the meal as spectacular as fresh baked bread.  Homemade bread often has the reputation of being out of reach for the novice baker, but its actually quite easy, and straightforward once you get the hang of it.  

I find that breaking up the steps is key to making sure it's not an overwhelming process and makes a great activity for doing with young kids. 

A super plus is that one batch of bread can last for quite a while if frozen properly so it's something that's easy to pull out to spice up a meal and doesn't have to be baked super often, I'm all about the efficiency short cuts!

The bread I make most often is a Challah bread that is traditionally eaten for the shabbat meals.  It is soft an filling with the perfect touch of sweetness to please even the most picky customer.

There's no need for a bread machine or fancy oversized mixer, I find that the best challah I make is done by hand in my trusty large plastic bowl.

Check out the recipe after the jump:

This recipe is adapted from a fresh yeast recipe in the Original Kosher Palette Cookbook.  I've tried many sweet challah recipes and this one is the most reliable:

4 C warm water 3/4 oz Fleichman's Active Dry yeast (that's an entire 3 pack) 1 Tbsp sugar 1 5 lb bag all purpose flour 2 C sugar 1 1/2 Tbsp salt 3 large eggs 1 1/2 C canola or corn oil 1 large egg, lightly beaten Combine water & yeast in a med metal or glass bowl. Stir in 1 Tbsp sugar. let stand 10 min. The mixture will be bubbly. Place flour in a large bowl; Stir in 2 c sugar & salt, mixing well. Push the flour against the sides of the bowl leaving a well in the center. Pour the yeast mixture, 3 eggs, & oil into the well. Mix with a wooden spoon until you can no longer stir it. Knead the dough with your hands until it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl. The dough should be smooth & springy. If the dough is still very sticky, knead in a small amount of flour until it is smooth. Brush the top of thre dough with oil. Cover with plastic wrap & a dry towel. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours in a warm room. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface & punch down. Divide the dough into 5 to 7 sections. Divide each section into 3 equal pieces & make a braid. Brush challos with beaten egg. Let rise uncovered for 45 min to an hour. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for about 35 min until golden brown & challah sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. After 15 to 20 min reverse the direction of the baking sheet. Cool on wire rack. Once cool, they can be frozen if wrapped tightly with tin foil and then placed in an airtight ziplock bag.  To Defrost place bag in the fridge overnight and warm the challah in a warm oven for 30 minutes until hot.