Challah (using a bread machine)

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Bread Machine Cookbook

Ingredients
3/4 c water
2 eggs
3 T butter or margarine
1 T honey
3 1/4 c flour*
2 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
2 tsp corn meal
1 egg, well mixed (for topping)

Directions
1. Place all ingredients in bread machine in order indicated, through yeast.
2. Set bread machine to dough and press start.
3. When dough is ready, lightly flour a large surface and divide dough into four equal sections.
4. Roll or squeeze dough into long, thin ropes (approx 20-24" each), then braid (see YouTube video below for round challah instructions).
5. Spray baking pan with Pam (or use a silicone cookie mat) and lightly sprinkle with corn meal. Place challah on pan and let rise for 1 hour in cool oven until doubled in size (or larger if desired).
6. Using basting brush, "wash" challah with egg topping. Place large piece of tinfoil very lightly over challah and return to oven.
7. Turn on oven to 350 F and set timer to 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn off oven, remove tinfoil, and let challah continue cooking for 5 minutes.
8. Place pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, then remove challah from pan and place directly on cooling rack until completely cool.

*optionally, substitute up to 1 c white flour with wheat flour



Adopted from NYT/Joan Nathan (this replaces the ingredients as well as steps 1 & 2 above):

In bread machine pan, add:
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp hot tap water
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Stir and let sit 10 minutes, until yeast mixture is a bit frothy.

Then add and mix:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs

Then turn on "dough setting" and add:
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt