Everything Challah Recipes

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:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
• Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.)
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
• To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with what is now the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
• Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour in refrigerator if preferred.
• To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. (If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.) Then dip your index finger in the egg wash, then into poppy or sesame seeds and then onto a mound of bread. Continue until bread is decorated with seeds.
• Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack.

Steps:

• For the challah: In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar and water. Whisk to dissolve, then add eggs and salt and whisk again. Place yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Place dough in a bowl lightly greased with vegetable oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes, or until almost doubled in size.
• For the turkey filling: In a medium cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. When shimmering, add ginger and onion and saute until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. To the skillet, add turkey, pistachios, raisins, cinnamon, and chili powder. Saute until turkey is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• For the everything spice: Place the onion flakes, dried garlic, salt, caraway seeds, poppy seeds and sesame seeds in a bowl; mix and set aside.
• To assemble: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll into a rectangle approximately 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 3-inch squares. Spoon 2 tablespoons turkey filling on top of each square. Fold up the sides to form dumplings and crimp the tops. Place top-side down on a baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each pastilla. In a small bowl whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush pastillas with the egg wash, then sprinkle with the everything spice.
• Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool, then dust with powdered sugar and serve.