The Kosher Butcher's Wife Challah Recipe

I absolutly love making challah. But, what I probably love more than anything is the fact that I can put all the ingredients into one bowl in my Kenwood Mixmaster, and with a dough hook, literally get the dough ‘ball rolling’. Once everything forms a nice, well-blended ball of dough I remove it from the bowl and knead it by hand for a few minutes using that special moment to infuse my challahs with prayers and thoughts that are only between me and Hashem.

Directions

1. Place the above ingredients, in the same order, into your mixer with a dough hook.

2. With your mixer on its lowest speed, blend until all of the ingredients are combined, then increase the speed a little and continue kneading until the mixture forms a nice, well-blended ball of dough. You may need to add a little more water if the dough is too firm or a little more flour if the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl. I prefer to have a slightly more moist dough as the air tends to dry it out whilst kneading by hand and you can always sprinkle a little flour on the table when kneading if the dough sticks to your hands. After removing from bowl, knead by hand for about five minutes and use this special time for You, your Challahs and Hashem.

3. Allow the dough to rise for one to two hours until doubled in size, punch down and divide into three or four equal portions (depending on how big you want your challahs). Plait as desired and place on a baking tray or into a loaf pan. Allow to rise again until doubled in size and then paint with egg wash (1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water).

4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake the challah for 30–35 minutes until golden brown. So easy, so simple and so fulfilling!