Every recipe from Peter Reinhart's Artisan Bread Every Day is awesome. This type of enriched egg bread recipe can be used for dinner rolls, cinnamon buns, yeasted coffee cake and sweet or savory swirl breads.
In this recipe you make the dough and refrigerate it overnight or up to 4 days.
2 1/4 C (18oz/510g) lukewarm water (about 95F or 35C).
1 1/2 T (0.5 oz/14g) instant yeast (I use Dry Active Yeast and its OK, too)
10 egg yolks (6 oz/170g) depending on weight
5 T (2.5 oz/71g) vegetable oil
6 T (3 oz/85g) sugar, or 4 1/2 T honey or agave nectar
1 T (0.75oz/21g) vanilla extract (optional) --I used it. It was good!
7 1/2 C (34 oz/ 964g) unbleached bread flour
2 1/2 tsp (0.66/ 19g) salt, or 4 tsp coarse kosher salt
1 egg white or whole egg, for egg wash
2 T water, for egg wash
2 T poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or a combination, for garnish (optional)--I used poppy seeds.
Do Ahead
Combine the water and yeast in a mixing bowl and stir with a whisk to dissolve. Add the egg yolks, oil, sugar, and vanilla and whisk lightly to break up the egg yolks, then add the flour and salt. If using a mixer, use the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 2 minutes. If mixing by hand, use a large spoon and stir for about 2 minutes. The dough should be coarse and shaggy. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
Switch to the dough hook and mix on medium-low speed, or continue to mix by hand using a large, wet spoon, for 4 minutes.
Use a bowl scraper to transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, then dust the top of the dough with flour. Lightly knead for 1 to 2 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. The dough should be soft, supple, and tacky but not sticky. Form the dough into a ball, place it in a clean, lightly oiled bowl, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Immediately refrigerate the dough overnight or for up to 4 days. It will double in size as it cools. (If you plan to bake the dough in batches over different days, you can portion the dough and place it into two or more oiled bowls at this stage.)
On Baking Day
Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 2 hours and 10 minutes before you plan to bake. Transfer it to alightly floured work sufrface and cut it into the desired number of pieces to make strands for braiding, making sure all of the pieces are the same weight. Flatten each piece with your hand, then roll the pieces into a cigar or torpedo shape. After doing this with each piece, return to the first one and roll it out into a rope 10 to 14 inches long. (The bigger the piece of dough, the longer the rope.) Make sure each rope is the same length.
I checked YouTube for ways to braid the Challah. I like this five strand braid. Once the loaves are braided, transfer them to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Make an egg wash by combining the egg white (or a whole egg) and the 2 T of water and whisking briskly until thoroughly combined. Brush the entire visible surface of the loaves with the egg wash, then refrigerate any remaining egg wash and let the loaves rise. Brush with the egg wash again, then sprinkle on the optional seeds. A combination of poppy and sesame looks very impressive. Let the loaves rise at room temperature for about 1 hour, or until increased to about 1 1/2 times their original size.
About 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350F (177C), or 300F (149C) for a convection oven.
Bake for about 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15-30 minutes, until the loaves sound hollow when thumped on the bottom and the internal temperature is about 190F (88) in the center. If you used a whole egg in the egg wash, the crust will get darker than with an egg white wash; don't be fooled into thinking the bread is done until it passes the thump and temperature test. The crust of the loaf will seem hard when it first comes out of the oven, but it will soften as it cools.
Cool on a wire rack for at least 45 minutes before slicing or serving.
Your younger sister says: This is the best bread EVER! Good thing you didn't bring me the whole loaf. I may actual try to make this myself.
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