Bread Machine Challah for Shabbat and Festivals

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Description

A perfect recipe for arthritic hands that can’t knead dough easily anymore! Recipe is written for a bread machine that makes 1.5 pound (700 gram) loaves. NOTE: Do NOT bake this dough in the machine. Use only the dough/pasta setting. There is too much fully-risen dough for the machine to accommodate.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • ¼ cup pareve margarine
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons bread machine yeast
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Place the warm water
  2. salt
  3. sugar
  4. margarine
  5. egg
  6. bread flour
  7. and yeast in the pan of a bread machine in that order
  8. set the machine to the dough setting
  9. and start the machine.
  10. When the dough cycle of the machine is finished
  11. place the dough on a floured surface. Divide the dough into 3 pieces
  12. and roll them into ropes about the thickness of your thumb and about 12 inches long. Ropes should be fatter in the middle and thinner at the ends. Pinch 3 ropes together at the top and braid them. Starting with the strand to the right
  13. move it to the left over the middle strand (that strand becomes the new middle strand.) Take the strand farthest to the left
  14. and move it over the new middle strand. Continue braiding
  15. alternating sides each time
  16. until the loaf is braided
  17. and pinch the ends together and fold them underneath for a neat look.
  18. Grease a baking sheet
  19. or line with parchment paper
  20. and place the braided challah on the prepared sheet. Cover the loaf with a plastic bag to prevent drying out
  21. and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk
  22. about 1 hour.
  23. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Whisk together 1 egg
  24. 1 tablespoon of water
  25. and vanilla in a small bowl
  26. and brush the glaze on the challah. Sprinkle with optional toppings (see footnote).
  27. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped
  28. 35 to 40 minutes.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 35 mins

Total Time: 3 hrs 50 mins

Servings: 10

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