Aaaaaaaah! Isn’t it beautiful?! A 6-strand braid!! I love it! Unfortunately, I only got one slice before the rest was gobbled up at the potluck at church. 🙂 I made it with 60% spelt (the rest white flour). The 2nd time I made it for my white-flour-lovin’ brother-in-law and so I only put in 2 cups of wheat flour. The 3rd time I made it entirely with wheat flour, and added about 3Tbsp gluten flour. It took a lot longer to rose, but worked wonderfully!
Thanks, Tammy, for the recipe! If you decide to try your hand at the recipe, be sure to watch her video tutorial on how to braid it with 6 strands. It’s not as hard as it sounds! 🙂
Challah
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon oil
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons yeast
5 cups flour, plus additional flour (may take 8 or 9 cups of flour total)
Combine ingredients in a large bowl in order listed. Add enough flour and knead to make a smooth dough. Knead for approximately 10 minutes. Oil top of bread and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down. Braid in a 3-/4-/6- strands. Place braids on greased baking sheets and cover. Let rise in a warm place for 25-30 minutes.
Brush with beaten eggs and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes, until done. If loaves start to brown too quickly, loosely lay a piece of foil on top. Cool on wire racks, covered.
Just curious where you get your spelt. Do you buy grain and mill or purchase the flour? Spelt is one of the few grains not included under Wheat Board regulations and I’ve been trying to talk my farmer brother-in-law into growing some on the corners his pivot sprinkler doesn’t reach. Spelt actually grows to tall if it has to much water so it could be an ideal not overly expensive crop for unused acres. From what I’ve seen spelt is overpriced and it should be possible to supply it more cheaply. Kurt isn’t convinced yet but I’m working on it. 🙂