Name: 6 Strand Raisin Challah Bread
Ingredients: 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry or instant fast rising Red Star yeast (1 packet); 3/4 cup (170g) warm water; 1 teaspoon + 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar; 3 3/4 dups (454g) unbleached All-Purpose Flour, plus a little more for dusting; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 large eggs; 1/3 cup (67g) vegetable oil; 1/4 cup raisins; 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten for the glaze

Passover

Bowl

Whisk

Rolling pin

In a large glass, add warm water, and 1 teaspoon of sugar and give it a little stir. Sprinkle in the yeast and swirl liquid in glass. Cover with a cloth and leave it for 5 minutes, until a soft foam develops on top.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, and 2 tablespoons sugar and mix well to combine. Add the foamy yeast mixture to the egg mixture in the large bowl and mix. Start to incorporate the dry ingredients, 1 cup at a time, into the wet mixture in the large bowl. (TIP: Start with a whisk. As the dough forms move to a single kneading hook in hand blender). Knead until you have a smooth and slightly sticky dough, (7 to 10 minutes), adding more flour as necessary. You may need to use your hand during the final knead. Sprinkle raisins in slowly during the final knead by hand.

Transfer the dough into an oiled bowl and give it a quick roll to coat the dough in oil. Cover it with plastic wrap, and let it sit at room temperature for approximately 1-2 hours until it has doubled in size.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer dough onto a floured surface and fold it a few times to create a rectangular shape about 6 x 3 inches. Depending on how many strands you want to use for your braid, divide your dough into that many equally sized portions. Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten it with your palm. Using a rolling pin, roll out the flattened ball into a disk about about a 1/4 inch thick. Using your finger tips, roll the disk up into a log. (much like rolling up a carpet). Using the palms of both your hands and gentle pressure, roll each log back and forth on the counter to remove the seam and elongate it, until the log becomes a strand 10 inches long.

Pinch all the strands together at the top and then start to braid the strands. Tuck the ends under. Then squish the loaf from top to bottom and side to side.

Transfer the loaf to the baking sheet, cover it with a cloth and let it rise at room temperature. TIP: I like to place it in an unheated oven, along with a a pan of hot water to create a warm, moist environment that the yeast loves to work under. In about 30 minutes, the challah dough, should have puffed up nicely.

Preheat an empty oven to 375&#176;F. Brush the loaf lightly with the egg wash and then bake for 27-28 minutes until the loaf is golden brown. Be sure to brush the egg mixture well into the nooks and folds, or else as the challah expands in the oven, that portion will not turn brown. TIP: Rotate the tray at the halfway mark so that the challah browns evenly (since the rear of the oven tends to be hotter than the front). Remove the loaf from the oven. After a few minutes take it off the tray, and cool it on a wire rack before slicing.

6 Strand Raisin Challah Bread

Utensils needed:

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