Challah Multicolor Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the oil, sugar, salt, eggs and 4 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Divide each portion into thirds. Shape each piece into a 15-in. rope. , Place 3 ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour., Preheat oven to 350°. Beat egg and cold water; brush over braids. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds if desired. Bake until golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over barely warm water. Beat in honey, oil, 2 eggs, and salt. Add the flour one cup at a time, beating after each addition, graduating to kneading with hands as dough thickens. Knead until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let rise for 1 1/2 hours or until dough has doubled in bulk.
• Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto floured board. Divide in half and knead each half for five minutes or so, adding flour as needed to keep from getting sticky. Divide each half into thirds and roll into long snake about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Pinch the ends of the three snakes together firmly and braid from middle. Either leave as braid or form into a round braided loaf by bringing ends together, curving braid into a circle, pinch ends together. Grease two baking trays and place finished braid or round on each. Cover with towel and let rise about one hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat the remaining egg and brush a generous amount over each braid. Sprinkle with poppy seeds if desired.
• Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 40 minutes. Bread should have a nice hollow sound when thumped on the bottom. Cool on a rack for at least one hour before slicing.

Steps:

• for the vegetable-colored loaves: peel and dice beets and carrot.
• put beets, carrots, and spinach in separate saucepans with enough water to cover by 1/2 inch, and cook each until soft, adding water as needed to keep just under cover.
• in turns, puree each vegetable and its cooking water, adding water as needed to get 2 cups of liquid puree from each vegetable.
• you should now have 2 cups each of spinach, carrot and beet puree. let each cool to just barely warm.
• pour each puree into separate large mixing bowls, and put 1 2/3 cup water into a fourth mixing bowl for standard challah. these will be the 4 separate batches of dough.
• to each liquid add 1/2 cup oil, then 1/2 cup honey.
• hint: pour the oil just before the honey, and the honey will slip right out of the measuring cup.
• mix well, then add 3 eggs to each batch, and mix again.
• to each mix add 3 tsp salt, mix well.
• add 3 cups bread flour to each batch, mix until sloppy.
• add 2 scant Tablespoons instant dry yeast to each batch, mix well.
• continue adding flour (this is where I switch to all-purpose) to each batch until thick enough to turn out and knead.
• one at a time, knead each batch on a floured surface, adding more bread flour as needed.
• the dough has enough flour when it is feeling rather firm, bounces back when you press on it, and feels tacky but not sticky.
• when each batch is done being kneaded, put it back in its mixing bowl, coating the mixing bowl first with a little oil. flip the dough around in the oil to cover entirely with a thin film of oil.
• cover each batch with a large plate, or with heavy plastic wrap, and let sit 45-50 minutes in a warm spot to rise until approximately doubled in size.
• one at a time, flip each batch of dough onto floured surface, knead briefly, and cut and form 12 long strips for braiding. flour each lightly to keep from sticking.
• keep strands in a pile of each color, until all doughs are done being made into strips.
• you now have 4 piles of 12 strips each to braid.
• make 4-strand braids using one strip of each color. (to see a demo of this, GO TO-->).
• http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/tipTechniqueView.cfm?objectid=11754DCC-E8FC-4498-A0F52DD050659A71.
• put loaves on parchment-covered baking sheets, cover well with plastic wrap or with a large plastic tablecloth, and let rise 30-45 minutes in a warm spot, until doubled in size.
• add about 1/3 - 1/2 cup water to 3 egg whites and mix well.
• use egg white mixture to glaze loaves after rising is done, using a soft bristle pastry brush.
• bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes, or until nicely browned and sounding hollow when you knock on the bottom of the loaf.
• cool on racks.
• freezes well.