Challah

When I first baked this challah, I chose it from breadworld.com because of how pretty it looked like. I know how to braid hair (I used to braid my hair whenever it would grow long since my high school days). And when I made this fancy looking bread for supper, my husband's comment was that it was like pastry. When I first tasted it, it reminded me somewhat of how ensaymada tasted like, but not quite.
This recipe was what inspired me to develop my ensaymada recipe using the bread machine. Now that I pretty much got my ensaymada recipes settled for good, I went back to baking this challah again using the original recipe by breadworld. I served it during the recent dinner our family had with my in-laws and a friend, with sesame beef as the main course.

Ingredients:

1-POUND RECIPE	INGREDIENTS	1-1/2-POUND RECIPE
1/2 cup	water	3/4 cup
1	large egg	1
2 tbsp	margarine, cut up	3 tbsp
1 tsp	salt	1-1/4 tsp
2 cups	bread flour	3 cups
4 tsp	sugar	2 tbsp
1-1/2 tsp	bread machine yeast	2 tsp
1	yolk of large egg	1
1 tbsp	water	1 tbsp

Directions
Add 1/2 cup [3/4 cup] water, egg, margarine, salt, bread flour, sugar, and yeast to bread machine pan in the order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough/manual cycle.

When cycle is complete, remove dough from machine to a lightly floured surface. If necessary, knead in enough flour to make dough easy to handle. [For 1 1/2-pound recipe, divide dough in half to make 2 loaves.] For each loaf, divide dough into 2 pieces, one about 2/3 of the dough and the other about 1/3 of the dough. Divide larger piece into 3 equal pieces; roll into 12-inch ropes. Place ropes on greased baking sheet. Braid by bringing left rope under center rope; lay it down. Bring right rope under new center rope; lay it down. Repeat to end. Pinch ends to seal. Divide remaining piece into 3 equal pieces. Roll into 10-inch ropes; braid. Place small braid on top of large braid. Pinch ends firmly to seal and to secure to large braid. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until almost doubled in size, 15 to 20 minutes. Lightly beat egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water; brush over braids.

Bake at 375oF for 25 to 30 minutes or until done, covering with foil after 15 minutes to prevent excess browning. (For even browning when baking two loaves, switch positions of sheets halfway through baking.) Remove from sheet[s]; cool on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf [2 loaves].

Nutritional Information: Per Serving:
Serving size: 1 slice (1/12 of 1 1/2-lb. recipe)
calories 174; total fat 4g; saturated fat 1g; cholesterol 35mg; sodium 285mg; total carbohydrate 28g; dietary fiber 1g; protein 5g.