Rosh Hashanah Braided Challahs
  by Amy Rabb-Liu

Dry Mix:
2 cups all purpose unbleached flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 package rapid rise highly active yeast

Wet Mix:
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1 2/3 cups water, very warm (like very warm bath water)

Also: 
4-5 more cups of flour
Flour for kneading
Oil for the bowl
1/2 cup raisins
Flour for dusting raisins
Egg yolk
Water
Oil for baking sheet


In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients.  In a separate bowl mix the wet 
ingredients.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix well.
Add 2 more cups of flour and mix well.  Add another two cups and mix well.
If needed, add as much as one more cup and mix well.  You'll know you 
have enough flour when the dough is forming a moist ball, with some 
"shaggy" bits at the edges and bottom.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.  Knead for 6-8 minutes, 
incorporating more flour as needed to keep dough from sticking.  
You are done when the dough has formed a smooth, elastic ball.

Oil a large bowl.  Place the kneaded dough in the bowl, turning 
the dough to coat all surfaces.  Let the dough rest 10-15 minutes.

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment, and lightly oiling 
the parchment.

Use a kitchen scissors to split the dough into two equal parts.  
Put one part aside for later.  Take one part and split it into 
three equal parts.  On a very lightly floured surface, roll each 
part into a long `snake,' about 20 inches long.  

Toss the raisins with a small bit of flour, so that the raisins do not 
stick together.  Press the raisins into each `snake' of dough, pinching 
the dough over each raisin a bit.  Pinch the three raisin studded dough 
snakes together at one end.  Braid the dough, into a long, tight braid, 
stretching the snakes as you work to keep the braid long and thin.  
At the end of the braid, again pinch the three ends together.  
Starting at one end, roll the braid onto itself to form a coil.  
As you roll, turn the braid on its side, so that what was the "bottom" 
as you were braiding becomes the outside of the coil.  This will help 
the raisins be in the interior of the coil, instead of on the top.  
Tuck the end of the coil underneath.  Transfer to prepared baking sheet.

Repeat the braiding process with the dough that was set aside, but skip 
the raisins.  [Our family likes one raisin loaf, and one plain.  Really, 
you can make both plain or both raisin, or put in other dried fruits 
or whatever your family likes.]

Fill a shallow pan with very hot water.  Put the pan with water on the 
bottom shelf of the oven.  Turn on the oven for one minute, then turn 
it off.  Put the bread in the oven [make sure the oven is turned off; 
it should be a warmish room temperature inside] and let it rise, for 
about an hour or maybe a little longer.  This rise is done when the 
bread has clearly grown in size.

Take the bread out of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350F.  Use one egg 
yolk with about one tablespoon of water to make an egg wash.  Brush the 
tops of the loaves with the egg wash.  You should have some egg wash 
left over, which you will use later.  Take the pan of water out of 
the oven, and put the bread in to bake.  

After 30 minutes take the bread out.  Brush the rest of the egg wash 
over both loaves.  Put the bread back in the oven.  This time, also put 
the pan of water in the oven on the shelf below the bread.  Bake for 
about 15 minutes more.  The bread is done when the crust is shiny and dark,
and when you tap the bottom of the loaf you hear a `hollow' sound.  
Let the bread cool on a rack.

This will make two family sized challahs for your holiday table.  
L'Shanah Tovah!


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