High Holiday Challah

Ingredients:

¾ cup sugar
2 cups lukewarm water
¾ cup vegetable oil
1T salt
4 small eggs
3 envelopes yeast
¼ cup lukewarm water
8-10 cups flour
honey

Directions:

Combine sugar, 2 cups water, oil and salt. Add eggs. In a separate cup, mix yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Add the yeast mixture to the sugar mixture. Add 4 or 5 cups of flour and mix well. Gradually add 4 or 5 more cups of flour. Knead 10 minutes. Lightly coat a bowl with vegetable oil and put dough into this bowl. Lay a piece of wax paper over the bowl and then a dishtowel on top of that. Let dough rise for one hour.

After one hour, the dough should have roughly doubled in size. Punch down dough and knead again for a few minutes. Cover with wax paper and towel and let rise for another 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, you’re ready to shape the loaves. Divide the dough into two. Working each half separately, roll into a long snake. If you like, raisins can be added here by pressing them into the dough. Starting at one end, roll the snake into a circle that gets wider and wider as the dough wraps around itself—like a rag-rug. Tuck the end in. This is the traditional shape for challah for the High Holidays. The circle symbolizes life. Now, let the dough rest.

After 15 minutes, drizzle honey onto the loaves. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes. Enjoy!

 

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