Challah Bread Fresh from Angela's Ashes
LarryC
1,267 Posts
[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 07-12-05 AT 12:25PM (CST)[/font][br][br]If you've ever read the book "Angela's Ashes", you'll recognize this bread that Frank's Jewish neighbor lady used to bake and then let the kids have a "twist of it".
I got the recipe from a German lady named Martha who was our next door neighbor when I was grwing up. Martha and husband Otto immigrated to the U.S. during the time when Hitler was coming to power in Germany. Otto fought for Germany in WWI as a pilot of a two-seater biplane he called the Rumpler. He was shot down and while recuperating in the hospital, took up oil painting and became quite an accomplished artist. I have some of his paintings in my house today. He was a tool and die maker by trade, which is what he made his living at here in the United States. Martha's parents ran a bakery in Germany that had alot of Jewish patrons who always ordered their Challah bread. Martha's kitchen always had that aroma of rich breads, kuchens (sp?), and German cookies. The following recipe is an original from Martha's parents' old country bakery back in early 20th century Germany. I've always considered this recipe a "gift", and now I give it to you, my friends.
CHALLAH BREAD
In a big mixing bowl with 2 cups of warm water, add 1 Tablespoon of salt and 2 Tablespoons of honey. Wisk together.
In 1/2 cup of warm water, dissolve 2 Tablespoons of regular yeast. Add to big bowl and wisk and let set to allow the yeast to awaken. (About 3 -4 minutes)
Add 2 beaten eggs and wisk.
Add 1/4 cup of oil and wisk.
Add 7 to 8 cups of bread flour ( I start with 7 and the use the 8th cup as my kneading flour) and mix by hand until you have a nice ball of dough.
Plop dough onto your kneading surface that has been floured. Let it "rest" for about 3-4 minutes.
Knead for 2-3 minutes using the 8th cup of flour as your kneading flour. You probably won't use it all up. That's ok and probably preferred.
Place dough into a big bowl that has been sprayed liberally with oil. Roll it around to coat. Cover the bowl and let rise for about an hour or until double in size.
Dump it out onto a clean surface and divide dough into 2 equal parts. For each part, divide into equal thirds. Roll out each third into a "rope". Braid the three ropes and tuck the ends underneath and place onto an oil sprayed baking stone or sheet. Repeat with the other "part" and place it about 2 inches away from the other loaf on the same stone or sheet. Let rise again for about a half hour.
Brush each loaf with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack and enjoy!
Tip: Have all ingredients at room temperature before using. You'll have better results.
I got the recipe from a German lady named Martha who was our next door neighbor when I was grwing up. Martha and husband Otto immigrated to the U.S. during the time when Hitler was coming to power in Germany. Otto fought for Germany in WWI as a pilot of a two-seater biplane he called the Rumpler. He was shot down and while recuperating in the hospital, took up oil painting and became quite an accomplished artist. I have some of his paintings in my house today. He was a tool and die maker by trade, which is what he made his living at here in the United States. Martha's parents ran a bakery in Germany that had alot of Jewish patrons who always ordered their Challah bread. Martha's kitchen always had that aroma of rich breads, kuchens (sp?), and German cookies. The following recipe is an original from Martha's parents' old country bakery back in early 20th century Germany. I've always considered this recipe a "gift", and now I give it to you, my friends.
CHALLAH BREAD
In a big mixing bowl with 2 cups of warm water, add 1 Tablespoon of salt and 2 Tablespoons of honey. Wisk together.
In 1/2 cup of warm water, dissolve 2 Tablespoons of regular yeast. Add to big bowl and wisk and let set to allow the yeast to awaken. (About 3 -4 minutes)
Add 2 beaten eggs and wisk.
Add 1/4 cup of oil and wisk.
Add 7 to 8 cups of bread flour ( I start with 7 and the use the 8th cup as my kneading flour) and mix by hand until you have a nice ball of dough.
Plop dough onto your kneading surface that has been floured. Let it "rest" for about 3-4 minutes.
Knead for 2-3 minutes using the 8th cup of flour as your kneading flour. You probably won't use it all up. That's ok and probably preferred.
Place dough into a big bowl that has been sprayed liberally with oil. Roll it around to coat. Cover the bowl and let rise for about an hour or until double in size.
Dump it out onto a clean surface and divide dough into 2 equal parts. For each part, divide into equal thirds. Roll out each third into a "rope". Braid the three ropes and tuck the ends underneath and place onto an oil sprayed baking stone or sheet. Repeat with the other "part" and place it about 2 inches away from the other loaf on the same stone or sheet. Let rise again for about a half hour.
Brush each loaf with beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack and enjoy!
Tip: Have all ingredients at room temperature before using. You'll have better results.
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