Honey Challah

       This was so much fun to make! Some people get the "foodie jitters" over making things like salted caramel frosting, beautiful pork roasts, or any homemade pudding. Not this girl. Obviously those scrumptious delicacies can be divine, but so far things like that haven't made me jump up and down in the middle of my kitchen like a giddy little school girl. But I tell you what, when I was rolling out this Challah, braiding it, and watching it bake, I truly was a victim of the foodie jitters. First of all, how beautiful does it look?! I'm so proud! (Might I mention this was my first time ever braiding six strands of dough into one loaf.) It browned up perfectly, in my not-so-humble opinion. Secondly, the smell was deliciously intoxicating. Not kidding. It permeated the entire house, upstairs and down. In fact, because I was baking in the middle of the night--when ya get an urge, give in I say--the sweet aroma even woke up my mom and grandma who was visiting. That's how awesome and intense the smell was. Since this made a rather large loaf, I cut about a third of it off and brought it over to my boyfriend's house with the intention of his whole family trying a little bit or eating it with dinner. Well, that back fired. After he tasted it, he claimed the entire 9-ish inch portion for himself. And he ate it. All at once. If the way to a man's heart truly is through his stomach, I'm pretty sure I got my man hook, line, and sinker.



Gorgeous isn't it?

Honey Challah
recipe from honey.com


Ingredients

• 1 package (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
• 1-1/4 cups warm water, divided
• 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

egg wash

• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon of water

Directions
--In a small bowl or cup, combine the yeast and a 1/4 cup of warm water (about 110-115 degrees). Let this stand for about 10 minutes while the yeast gets nice and frothy.

--In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Then add the honey, the two eggs, the melted butter, and the proofed yeast. Stir until well combined. Now stir in the remaining cup of water, a little at a time. You don't want soupy dough; depending on the day you won't need all the water.

--On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Then place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover the bowl with a towel. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until it has doubled in size (about an hour).

--After this first rising is complete, punch down the dough and let it rise again until doubled (approximately another hour).

--After the second rising, punch down the dough again. If you want to braid your Challah, separate the dough into strands (mine had 6). Braid away!

If you want to know how to braid a 6 strand loaf go here. Just remember, "over two, under one, over two".

--Place the braided loaf on a greased baking sheet, and then brush the egg wash (mix together the egg yolk and tablespoon of water) over the formed Challah.

--Once again, let the Challah rise until almost doubled in size. (Only about 20 minutes this time.)

--Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F.

-- After the dough has doubled, bake for 35-40 minutes. The Challah will be golden brown and hollow sounding when the underside is tapped. Careful, it's hot.

--Do your best to let the Challah cool before slicing it up. If you can't resist, nobody will care unless you're taking pictures ;)




Happy Baking!
--H