To Make a Challah

Wiki - Challah (plural: challot/challos) (Hebrew: חלה‎) is a special Jewish braided bread eaten on Sabbath and holidays.

This "double loaf" (in Hebrew: lechem mishneh) commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt according to Jewish religious belief.

Here's my finished challah. I began making breads when I was first married, using The Joy of Cooking book. I still follow the same recipe. I add grated cheese to the recipe for fulsome flavor.

Was inspired to make this challah by a recent article in the NY Times. 

 For the first time, I used King Arthur's Bread [and baking] flour. Note the egg yolk on left set aside, with added water, for the glazed topping.

 Stir everybody: 3 cups warm water, 3 eggs (save one yolk for the glaze topping) two T oil, one T salt, one T yeast, half-cup grated cheese, and enough flour to knead out on the table. Maybe eight cups.

 After stirring, turn out on table and cover with flour.

 Knead in the flour until the dough has absorbed it all.

 Place in oiled bowl to rise. 45 minutes.

 Cut into SIX oblong strips. Braid the strips. One will be the top braid, the other the bottom braid like this:

Bake in hot oven - 375 degrees - for 45 minutes.

Let cool for half an hour. Then serve with butter.