Challah Sandwich Bread
Give your next sandwich bread a braiding with this challah sandwich bread. An egg-based dough baked in a loaf pan so it makes perfect and impressive slices for your sandwiches.
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Servings: 20 slices
Calories: 130kcal
Cost: $10
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup Water warm 110F
- 0.75 oz Fresh bakers yeast (or 2 ¼ tsp instant dry yeast)
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Oil (olive or cooking)
- 2 Eggs large
- 4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ cup All-purpose flour for kneading
Instructions
Dough
- Combine flour and salt – set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm water, yeast, honey, oil, and eggs.
- Then, add the flour and combine well.
- Knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Shape the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl.
- Cover and let rise for 60 to 90 minutes or until double in volume (you can also leave this dough in the fridge to rise overnight).
Shape
- Transfer to an un-floured work-surface.
- You can make two small challah breads or one large challah bread with this dough. For two small loaves, divide the dough into 2. Today, I made one large challah.
- Then, divide the dough into 6 portions. They need to be approximately the same weight. I use a weighing scale to measure the dough.
- Shape each into a ball. If necessary, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Roll each ball with a rolling pin on an un-floured work surface (see video).
- Then, roll like a jelly roll into a rope about 18 inches long (see video) – This will give us a beautiful tight texture for the loaf.
Braide
- Place all six ropes so they intersect at the top. It's easier to watch the video first then try to understand my instructions.
- Ensure the six strands are secured at the top. From left to right you now have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 strands in front of you. It's harder when only read my instructions, so watch the video.
- Strand 1 goes over 6 and 6 goes over 1 - simple criss-cross (like two arms on either side).
- Then, 1 comes down in between 2, 3 and 4, 5.
- And 3 goes over in place of 6.
- Then, 1 comes down in between 2, 3 and 4, 5.
- And 4 goes over in place of 1.
- Continue with the process until you have reached the bottom.
- Tuck the seams at the top and bottom under.
- Transfer to a 9 x 4-inch loaf pan. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let proof for 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake
- A half-hour before baking, preheat the oven at 170 C / 340 F.
- Brush the bread with beaten egg (one egg with 2 tbsp water works great for egg wash).
- Bake each for 20 to 25 minutes until you have a nice golden brown (the internal temperature of about 195 F).
- Remove from the oven and brush with butter (optional).
- Let cool on a wire rack covered with a clean kitchen cloth to keep it soft.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Measure all ingredients ahead of time, so you don't forget anything at the last minute.
- For accuracy, use a weight measure for the ingredients because every cup of flour can weigh differently depending on how you fill it.
- The liquid (milk or water) must be warm (not hot) - about 110F. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Similarly, if the liquid is too cold, it will not activate the yeast.
- Most yeasts have a long shelf life, but it can get ruined. Always check the expiry date on the yeast. If unsure, combine the yeast with water/milk, sugar/honey, and oil/butter from the recipe and let stand 5 minutes. If it gets foamy the yeast is good to go. If not, it's best to buy fresh yeast or check the temperature of the milk.
- Keep salt away from yeast as it can kill the yeast. I like to combine salt with the flour then add the yeast mixture.
- A soft loose well-hydrated dough is not necessarily a bad thing. Often, it will give you a soft puffy bread. So, don't be tempted to add more flour than mentioned in the recipe.
- Kneading is key to making good bread. While kneading by hand can be therapeutic, using a stand mixer is easier and quicker.
- Leave the dough at room temperature to rise until double in volume. While not recommended, when in haste, you can place it in a warm (30 C / 75 F- not hotter) oven this will expedite the rise.
- Bread does not have to be time-consuming. You can leave the dough in the fridge to rise for a few hours (even overnight) while you go about your chores. A slow rise will give more flavor to the bread.
- Always preheat the oven for at least 10 minutes before you place bread in or the low temperature will spread the dough too much.
Nutrition
Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 240mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg