Story submitted by Susi Yarus Meisel- Grand daughter of Dora Ratner Sukenik
The Story Behind the Recipe:
For the story, click here.
Recipe:
Ingredients:
4 eggs
3+1/3 pkgs. active dry yeast
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
5-6 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs. salt
1/2 cup (or more) raisins -- if desired
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 egg
1/8 cup warm water
Poppy and Sesame seeds
Directions:
This Challah takes approximately 8 hours to make. Please make sure you leave enough time and don’t rush it.
1. With an electric mixer, mix eggs, egg yolks, sugar oil and salt VERY WELL together.
2. While this is mixing, dissolve yeast and 1/2 cup warm water together until all the yeast is dissolved.
3. Then add yeast mixture into the egg mixture and continue mixing for another few minutes.
4. Switch the mixing utensil on your machine to a dough hook (if you have one).
5. Now alternately start adding into the egg and yeast mixture 1 cup of flour with a little of the other 1/2 cup of water until you have 1 cup of flour left.
6. Knead for a few minutes.
7. Add raisins.
8. Now SLOWLY add some or all of the other cup of flour. You want the dough to feel soft and workable. Not too sticky and not too hard. It will take some time to get just the right feel of the dough. The dough should feel like a baby’s bottom.
9. Remove the dough and put it in a pan (that has a little flour on the bottom so it doesn’t stick too much when you take it out). The pan should be big enough to have the dough double its size.
10. Rub 2 Tbs. oil over the dough.
11. Cover the dough and pan with a towel and place it in a warm secluded place (I put it in my oven but DON’T TURN THE OVEN ON!)
12. Let it rise 3-4 hours.
To Make Challah loaves:
1. This recipe makes 3-4 loaves.
2. Oil and flour the loaf pans.
3. Take the dough out of the pan and split it into 3 even size pieces.
4. Divide each piece into three smaller pieces and three larger pieces.
5. Roll out each large piece (with your hands, not with a rolling pin) about 10 inches long. The small pieces may be about 6-8 inches long. (You should now have 9 small pieces and 9 larger pieces.) The idea is to have them look like a snake that swallowed a ball. You may need some flour on your hands and on your work area to aid the rolling out process.
6. Take the 3 larger pieces and pinch them together at one end and braid them. Pinch the ends together. Do the same with the 3 smaller pieces.
7. Place the larger braid into one of the loaf pans. Place the smaller braid on top.
8. Repeat steps 5-7 with the other pieces of dough.
9. Place the loaf pans in a warm place to rise for another 1-2 hours.
10. When they are done rising, heat the oven to 350 .
11. Brush tops with a mixture of 1 egg + 1/8 cup warm water.
11. Sprinkle with poppy and sesame seeds. Place in oven.
12. Bake for 45 min. to 1 hour (depending on your oven).
4 eggs
3+1/3 pkgs. active dry yeast
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
5-6 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs. salt
1/2 cup (or more) raisins -- if desired
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 egg
1/8 cup warm water
Poppy and Sesame seeds
Directions:
This Challah takes approximately 8 hours to make. Please make sure you leave enough time and don’t rush it.
1. With an electric mixer, mix eggs, egg yolks, sugar oil and salt VERY WELL together.
2. While this is mixing, dissolve yeast and 1/2 cup warm water together until all the yeast is dissolved.
3. Then add yeast mixture into the egg mixture and continue mixing for another few minutes.
4. Switch the mixing utensil on your machine to a dough hook (if you have one).
5. Now alternately start adding into the egg and yeast mixture 1 cup of flour with a little of the other 1/2 cup of water until you have 1 cup of flour left.
6. Knead for a few minutes.
7. Add raisins.
8. Now SLOWLY add some or all of the other cup of flour. You want the dough to feel soft and workable. Not too sticky and not too hard. It will take some time to get just the right feel of the dough. The dough should feel like a baby’s bottom.
9. Remove the dough and put it in a pan (that has a little flour on the bottom so it doesn’t stick too much when you take it out). The pan should be big enough to have the dough double its size.
10. Rub 2 Tbs. oil over the dough.
11. Cover the dough and pan with a towel and place it in a warm secluded place (I put it in my oven but DON’T TURN THE OVEN ON!)
12. Let it rise 3-4 hours.
To Make Challah loaves:
1. This recipe makes 3-4 loaves.
2. Oil and flour the loaf pans.
3. Take the dough out of the pan and split it into 3 even size pieces.
4. Divide each piece into three smaller pieces and three larger pieces.
5. Roll out each large piece (with your hands, not with a rolling pin) about 10 inches long. The small pieces may be about 6-8 inches long. (You should now have 9 small pieces and 9 larger pieces.) The idea is to have them look like a snake that swallowed a ball. You may need some flour on your hands and on your work area to aid the rolling out process.
6. Take the 3 larger pieces and pinch them together at one end and braid them. Pinch the ends together. Do the same with the 3 smaller pieces.
7. Place the larger braid into one of the loaf pans. Place the smaller braid on top.
8. Repeat steps 5-7 with the other pieces of dough.
9. Place the loaf pans in a warm place to rise for another 1-2 hours.
10. When they are done rising, heat the oven to 350 .
11. Brush tops with a mixture of 1 egg + 1/8 cup warm water.
11. Sprinkle with poppy and sesame seeds. Place in oven.
12. Bake for 45 min. to 1 hour (depending on your oven).
For Round Challah:
Ingredients:
4 Tbs. Vegetable oil
1 + 3/4 cup Bread Flour
3 Tbs. Honey
1 +1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Extra large eggs
1 Tbs. Sugar
3/4 cup Water
2 tsp. Yeast
1+1/4 All Purpose Flour
1/2-1 cup Raisins
Directions: Place all the ingredients in the machine. Program for basic bread recipe. Press start. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 Tbs. Vegetable oil
1 + 3/4 cup Bread Flour
3 Tbs. Honey
1 +1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Extra large eggs
1 Tbs. Sugar
3/4 cup Water
2 tsp. Yeast
1+1/4 All Purpose Flour
1/2-1 cup Raisins
Directions: Place all the ingredients in the machine. Program for basic bread recipe. Press start. Enjoy!