So just in case you didn't see it...

 I jumped on the bread making band wagon...

I've made bread before, of course...

My mama and I often enjoyed fresh homemade bread 

with a good ole pot of beef stew back in the day... Yum. 

And I've made many a loaf in the bread machines of yesteryear

[I actually made a loaf in mine a couple of months ago...

My favorite bread machine recipe calls for a cooked potato in the mix - SO GOOD.]

And you may recall that I made homemade hamburger buns 

during the early pandemic months... 

Since then, the youngest has been sharing all of his bread making skills

[bagels, pizza dough, focaccia, etc.] 

And it's all been delish!

  So I thought it was time to step up my bread baking game...

I remember my sweet friend Christy sharing her Challah Bread recipe a few times over on Southern Plate and saying how it was easy enough for her young daughter [at the time] to do it... 

 AND SHE IS CORRECT. 

 

 [SIDE NOTE: Isn't it fun to see how bread rises up so beautifully? 

And, OH THAT WONDERFUL YEASTY SMELL!]

This is her recipe... 

and I surely do encourage you to go over to Southern Plate 

and read all of her wonderful notes!

Challah Bread

Servings: 2 large loaves   Author: Christy Jordan 

 

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups warm water*
• 1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast 
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons kosher olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of kosher or sea salt
• 7 cups bread flour, with an addition 1-2 cups for kneading
• For wash: 1 egg and two tablespoons water

Instructions

• Place warm water in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast over top. 
  Stir and allow to sit for five minutes.
• To the active yeast mixture add: Honey, Oil, Eggs, and Salt. Stir with a whisk until well combined. Add in 4 cups of flour and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until mixed in.
• Add remaining three cups of flour and stir until flour is incorporated and dough is stiff.
• Sprinkle a clean surface with one cup of flour. Turn dough out onto this and sprinkle more flour on top. Knead with both hands for ten minutes, adding more flour to spots that become too sticky to knead. After ten minutes, place in bowl and cover with clean cloth. Allow to rise for 1.5 hours.
• Punch down dough and turn it out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle a little more flour over the top and knead dough for about five minutes.
• Separate dough into two portions and then separate each portion into three smaller portions (this is for a three strand braid). Roll each portion into a rope. It doesn't matter how long the rope as long as you make sure each of the ropes are about the same size.
• Pinch three ropes together at one end and then braid them, pinching together at the other end when done. Fold the ends under the loaf to hide them, leaving a pretty braided dough. Place this carefully onto a greased baking sheet and repeat with the other loaf.
• Spray the loaves lightly with cooking spray and cover loosely with cling wrap or waxed paper. Then, cover all of this with a towel. Set aside and allow to rise for about an hour.
• Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl beat egg and water together. Uncover risen bread and brush with egg wash. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush crevices on top of bread with egg wash again. Return to oven and bake for 20-25 more minutes, or until bread is dark golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container or serve warm :).
   
  WOW!
   This bread is so, so good... we enjoyed it straight out of the oven with butter... toasted for breakfast the next day...for sandwiches... and in a french toast casserole...
  SIDE NOTE 2: I did freeze one loaf after it cooled down... 
  There's NO WAY we could eat that much bread before it spoiled...
  
  Quick! Go check out her recipe and enjoy some home baked goodness for yourself!