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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