½cupmilkroom temperature, about 68-72° F, plus 1 tablespoon for egg wash
3tablespoongranulated sugar
1tablespooninstant dry yeast
¼cuphoney
⅓cupolive oil2 tablespoon more for greasing bowl
2eggs
4cupsall-purpose flour½ - 1 cup more for flouring surface
2teaspoonsalt
Egg wash and Toppings:
1egg
1tablespoonwater
1teaspoonsaltflakey
1sprig rosemary
Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough-hook attachment mix water, milk, and sugar. Then add yeast, lightly mix, and let sit for 5 minutes.
Next add honey, olive oil, 2 eggs, flour, and salt. Mix on low speed for about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium until dough forms a ball.
Lightly grease a large mixing bowl, and transfer dough to bowl. Lay a damp cloth/flour sack over top of bowl. Allow dough to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour. Just place the bowl on the counter.
Lay dough on a floured work surface. Divide dough into 3 separate pieces using a large knife or bench scraper. Roll each piece into a log, about 1½ inches wide and 12 inches long. Pinch top of each piece together, and seal, leaving the bottom ends untouched. Use these 3 pieces of dough to braid bread. At end of braid, cinch the ends together. Leave in a long loaf, or spin loaf into a circle.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; transfer loaf to sheet. Cover loaf with a damp towel. Let rise for another hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl, combine remaining egg and 1 tablespoon water to make an egg wash. Brush egg wash onto loaf, and sprinkle kosher salt and rosemary over top.
Transfer loaf to oven. Bake until golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes.
Remove from oven and let sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack before serving.
Enjoy!
Notes
Best Tips and Knowledge to make the best possible challah:
These tips are helpful for when you are making the recipe. Outside of the tips for ingredients above, these are tips on how to do something or why what I've listed in the recipe is necessary.
- Stand Mixer: If you don't have a stand mixer, no problem. You can use a hand mixer with a dough hook. Or you can use a large wooden spoon and your hands to knead.
- Temperature of your kitchen: You want your kitchen to be the ideal room temp to make sure your dough rises well. So between 68-72° F. Or relatively close.
- Milk and water: Again just repeating here that the milk and water must be the temperature I have listed in the recipe. Above are the methods to get to those temperatures.
- Resting Yeast: Yes, you MUST follow the recipe specifically here and set a timer. If you don't let the yeast sit, it won't rise.
- Add-ins: If you are adding in something like seasoning (cinnamon) into the challah, do it at the start of step 2. Or if you want to add something in like chocolate chips into the dough, you'll want to do that at the end of step 2.
- Flouring Surface: Be sure your surface (whether wood, marble, plastic, metal) is one, large enough for the project. But two, is well floured. But be sure it's only around ¼ cup of flour. You do not want to over add in flour.
- Rolling Dough: When you separate into 3 pieces, you can use a kitchen scale for exact weight, or just eyeball it if you don't have one. Roll the dough into even logs. Use the photos below to help you with the visual aspect.
- Slightly Stale Bread: If you don't eat it all right away, which would shock me, this makes for the best French Toast. If it is slightly stale, that makes for the best French Toast.