Torah/תורה: April 2006 Archives

This challah recipe is from The New York Times, Apr. 28, 1976: Happy Birthday Ima!

• 8.5 to 9 cups of sifted, unbleached flour
• additional flour for kneading
• 2 packages of dry yeast
• 2.5 cups lukewarm water
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tblsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup oil
• 3/4 cup plus 1/8 tsp. sugar
• 1 tblsp. poppy seeds or sesame seeds (optional)

1. Place six cups of flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Blend the yeast with one cup of the water and stir to dissolve. Add this to the well in the flour. Using a fork, start stirring around the well, gradually incorporating one-quarter of the flour - no more - into the yeast mixture. When approximately that amount of flour is blended into the yeast mixture, stop stirring. There is no need to remove the fork, it will be used for further stirring. Set the bowl in a warm, not too hot, place and let stand for 45 to 50 minutes.
2. Sprinkle the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt over all. Add the vanilla, three of the eggs, the oil and 3/4 cup of sugar. Add the remaining water (1.5 cups) and blend again, first with the fork and then with the hands. Add two cups of flour, kneading and, if the mixture is still too sticky, add an additional cup of flour.
3. Work the mixture well with a wooden spoon to make a stiff dough. If necessary, add more flour. Work with the hands about 10 minutes. When the dough doesn't stick to the hands (may require a little more flour), it is ready. Shape the mixture into a rather coarse ball and cover. Let stand about 20 minutes and turn it out onto a lightly floured board. Knead well, adding a little more flour to the board as necessary to prevent sticking. The kneading, which must be thorough and brisk, should take about five minutes. Flour a bowl well and add the ball, turning the dough to coat lightly with flour. Cover again and let stand for 30 minutes.
4. Turn the dough onto a flat surface once more and knead briefly. Using a knife, slash off about one-eighth of the dough at a time. As each portion is cut off, knead quickly and shape into a ball. Flour lightly. Return each piece as it is kneaded to a bowl to rest briefly. Continue until all eight pieces are shaped and floured.
5. Take one piece of dough at a time and place it on a flat surface, rolling briskly with the hands to make a "rope" about 12-15 inches in length. Continue until all the balls are shaped thusly.
6. Align the ropes vertically side by side and touching. Start working at the top of the ropes. Gather the tops of the ropes together, one at a time, pinching down to seal well. Separate the ropes down the center, four ropes to a side. Braid the ropes as follows: bring the extreme outer right rope over toward the center next to the inside rope on the left. Bring the extreme outer left rope over toward the center next to the inside rope on the right. Continue with this procedure, left to right (this is arbitrary, it could be right to left), until the loaf is braided and each rope has been brought to the center. As the last ropes are brought over, it will be necessary to pull and stretch them a bit to get them to fit.
7. When the braiding is finished, gather the bottom ends of the ropes together and pinch them together just as you did at the top.
8. Meanwhile, generously oil the bottom and sides of a rectangular baking pan (15.5 by 10.5 by 2.5 inches). Carefully gather up the braided loaf, using hands and arms to help sustain the shape, and place in the pan.
9. Cover the loaf with a towel and let stand in a warm spot for one hour or longer. Preheat the oven to 325. Check the loaf after one hour, it should be well puffed and about twice its original volume (if not wait a little longer).
10. Beat the remaining egg with the one-eighth teaspoon of sugar and brush the loaf all over with the egg wash and sprinkle (if desired) with the poppy or sesame seeds.
11. Place the loaf in the oven and bake approximately one hour until well puffed, cooked through and golden. Note: to get an even browning, brush on more egg during the baking as the loaf puffs.

Oren and I are in the middle of baking a variation on this recipe. I know we doubled it, did 7 cups whole wheat, 7 cups white, and 4 cups oats. As for the other variations, I need to ask....

Recorded live with Simon on kit and Oren on keys. Listen