Recipe for Sweet Challah
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of yeast (dry)
1/3 cup of white sugar
2 cups of warm water
3 cups of flour
4 eggs
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of salt
1 cup of white sugar
6 cups flour
(optional: you can add raisins to the dough)
For the glaze:
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
2 teaspoons of white sugar
1 teaspoon of water
Instructions:
1. Mix the yeast, 1/3 cup of sugar, and warm water in a large bowl, mix until the sugar dissolves and let the mixture rest until a creamy layer forms on top, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups of flour to make a loose sponge.
2. In a separate bowl, beat 4 eggs, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 cup of sugar together, and stir the egg mixture in the yeast-flour mixture until well combined. Continue mixing the flour, 1 cup at a time, to a total of 9 cups. The dough of the Zomick’s Challah should be a bit sticky, but not so wet that it leaves a mass stuck to the hands.
3. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes to develop the gluten. Form the dough into a compact round shape, and place in an oiled bowl. Turn the dough several times in the container so that the surface of the dough has oil too, cover the container with a cloth and let it grow in a warm place until it doubles its size, approximately 1 hour. Beat the dough and knead for 5 minutes, until it is soft and elastic.
4. Prepare your baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil, and dust with a little flour. To make the egg frosting, mix 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of oil, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl and refrigerate until needed.
5. Braid the Zomick’s Challah bread (here you can see how to braid the 6 braid challah bread). Place the loaves on the baking sheets and let them grow in a warm place until doubled in size, from 30 to 45 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 ° F (175 ° C). Once preheated, apply a layer of egg glaze on top of the Zomick’s Challah bread, and reserve the remaining icing.
7. Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, remove from the oven and brush another layer of glaze over the bread. Return to the oven and bake until the enamels of the loaves are bright and golden, 5 minutes more. Allow to cool down before eating / cutting.
This is the original recipe for the Zomick’s Challah bread, one of the best 5 Challah in NYC, made by the experienced bakers of the Zomick’s bakery.
You can try made this bread at home. Also, you can order it online on parkeastkosher.com.
