Challah

I have two go-to challah recipes — one basic and one for special occasions. The festive one, as you might expect, is more involved: it takes more time, effort, and ingredients. But the result is absolutely worth it — the flavor is rich and complex thanks to the combination of olive oil and honey. It really tastes like something meant for a celebration. The recipe comes from Claire Saffitz, and you can find it here in The New York Times.

The basic recipe is simpler but still gives a beautiful result — soft, slightly sweet challah that’s perfect for a regular Saturday.

INGREDIENTS
1.3 kg (about 9 cups) all-purpose flour;
100 g (½ cup) sugar;
2 tablespoons instant dry yeast;
500 ml (2 cups) warm water;
130 ml (½ cup + 1 tbsp) vegetable oil;
4 eggs;
1 tablespoon salt.

Dissolve 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the yeast in the warm water and let it sit for 10 minutes. In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), whisk together the oil, eggs, salt and the remaining sugar. Add the yeast mixture and stir everything gently to combine.

Now start kneading, gradually adding the flour. I usually use a stand mixer for this, because it needs about 15 minutes of kneading to get smooth and elastic.

Once kneaded, let the dough rise for about 1 to 1½ hours — it should double in size.

Then it's time to braid! This amount of dough makes 3 small challahs. I usually go with a simple three-strand braid and top them with sesame or poppy seeds.

Let the braided loaves rise for another 30–40 minutes, then bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out dry.