Manfred Loeb’s Six-braided Challah

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

These are 5 recipes that I formatted from
http://www.pbs.org/mpt/jewishcooking/. Joan Nathan did a 5 part  series
on Jewish Cooking in America. Included with the recipes were  actual
photos of the preparation.  In a large container dissolve the yeast and
a pinch of sugar in 1 cup  of the warm water (105 to 115 degrees) and
let stand for 10 minutes.  Place the flour in a large bowl. Add the
dissolved yeast and stir  with a spoon. Add the remaining sugar, salt,
2 eggs,* and the  vegetable shortening.  Beat about one minute and then
mix by hand. When the dough begins to  leave the side of the bowl, turn
it onto a lightly floured surface to  knead. You can also use a dough
hook in a mixer to blend and knead.  Knead for about 15 minutes or
until soft, adding more water or flour  as necessary.  Place the dough
in a lightly greased bowl, turning the dough over so  that the entire
surface is lightly greased; cover the bowl with a  cloth.  Let rise in
a warm place (75 to 80 degrees) for about an hour or  until the dough
doubles in size. Punch down and divide into 2 balls.  Divide each ball
into 6 snake-like pieces and roll out, about 12  inches long. Place all
6 strands on a board side by side, pressing  the: 6 ends together.
Divide into 2 groups of 3 strands. Now braid  the 6 strands. Take the
strand from the extreme left and place it  over the other 2 and into
the center. Take the second from the right  and place it over the top
to the far left. Take the one from the far  right to what is now the
center of your 6 strips. Then take the  second one from the left and
put it to the far right and take the far  outside on the left to what
is now the center. Go back to the right  side and take the second from
the right and put it over to the far  left. Always work with the 2
outside strands. Continue braiding until  the dough is used up. When
you have finished squeeze the ends  together. Repeat with the second
loaf. For those who want less of a  challenge, divide each ball into 3
strands and braid. Place the  outside strip over the middle one, then
under the third. Pull the  strips tight. Continue braiding. (Mr. Loeb
braids half way through  and then flips the challah, continuing to
braid to the end. This way  he gets a more even braid.) When finished
braiding, tuck in the ends.  Repeat with the remaining 3 strips.  Using
a pastry brush, brush the challah with the remaining egg mixed  with
water and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. After you have  brushed
the bread, dip your second finger in the egg wash and indent  the top
of the braids. Then dip your finger in the seeds and touch  the
indented area again to make a more striking design. Sprinkle a  cookie
sheet with cornmeal and place the loaves on top. Cover with a  plastic
sheet and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm place. Bake in a  preheated
375-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until golden.  *To reduce the
cholesterol you can use 1 egg white and 1 whole egg  instead of 2 eggs.
Converted by MC_Buster.  Recipe by: Joan Nathan/ Manfred Loeb  Posted
to JEWISH-FOOD digest by Bob & Carole Walberg  <walberg@escape.ca> on
Nov 06, 1998, converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.

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