To go with the Garlic-Potato Soup I served a few weeks back, I also made a couple of loaves of challah.

Challah
From Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads (thanks, justincheetah!)
Makes two braided loaves

Ingredients
2 packages Rapid-Rise Yeast (specifically Rapid-Rise!)
5 cups bread flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup hot water (120 – 130 F)
1 pinch of saffron (optional)
3 eggs
1 egg white
1 egg yolk (from egg above), beaten, mixed with 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon cold water
1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
1/2 tablet 250 mg Vitamin C, ground to a powder (I got this from Shirley Corriher’s Cookwise, a fantastic book about the science behind cooking. The vitamin C is a nutrient for the yeast)

Equipment
One large baking sheet, greased, or covered by a Silpat or parchment paper

This is the first bread recipe I’ve tried making in our 12-cup Cuisinart food processor, and I’m really happy with the results (but oy, such a mess to clean up!).

1. Attach the plastic dough blade.
2. Pour the yeast, three cups of flour, sugar, salt, vitamin C, and butter into the work bowl. Pulse a few times to blend.
3. With the machine running, gradually add the hot water through the feed tube.
4. With the machine running, add the saffron (if using), eggs, and egg white. The batter will be quite thick.
5. Add the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, through the feed tube or by taking the cover off, until the dough forms a rough mass that is whirled around the bowl by the blade. The bowl will partially clean the sides of the bowl at the same time.
6. With the machine running, knead the dough for 45 seconds.
7. First rising: Place the dough in a large, greased bowl, cover, and set aside until it has doubled in bulk, about one hour.
8. Punch down the dough and knead out the bubbles. Divide the dough in half.
9. To braid, divide each half into three equal pieces. Under your palms, roll each into at least 12″ equal lengths. Lay the three rolls parallel to each other, then braid them together, pinching the ends securely together. Place the braids on the prepared baking pan.
10. Carefully brush each braid with the egg glaze. Sprinkle liberally with poppy seeds, if using.
11. Second rising: Don’t cover the braids for the second rising. Let them sit until they are doubled in bulk, about one hour.
12. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F about 20 minutes before baking.
13. Bake until the braids are a shiny brown, 30 to 40 minutes, and test for doneness with a toothpick: when the toothpick is inserted into the center and comes out dry and clean, the bread is done.
14. Carefully remove the bread from the baking sheet and cool on wire racks. They will be a bit fragile when they first come out of the oven. Do not cut until the bread has cooled and firmed a bit.

This recipe can also be made by hand or in a stand mixer; the order of addition of the ingredients is the same for each.

This is a wonderfully egg-y bread, with a great flavor. We ate one loaf that night and surprisingly the other loaf has lasted a good week since. I just cut up half of it to make into chocolate bread pudding, something I recommend very highly!