Why two?
Why separate challah from the dough?
Challah is technically not the name of the bread, but the part of it that is separated. This part used to be given to the priests and is now thrown away, burnt or frozen depending on the custom.
What is the blessing to separate challah from the dough?
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָֽׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו, וְצִוָּֽנוּ לְהַפְרִישׁ חַלָה.
Blessed are you, HaShem our God, Ruler of the Universe, who makes us holy through commandments, and commands us to separate Challah.
Phonetics: Ba-ruch a-tah Adonai Elo-hei-nu Melech Ha-Olam asher kid-shanu b'mitz-vo-tav, v'tzi-vanu l'ha-frish challah.
(Remove the equivalent of a big olive of dough, say the blessing and then burn/freeze/throw away the challah).
My recipe!
(Well... My blending of 4 different people's recipe and tips)
You need 10g of dry baking yeast or 45g of fresh baking yeast (one cube).
If you're using dry yeast, start by proofing it (i.e. checking that it's alive and will actually make your dough rise) by putting in the equivalent of 1,5-2 glasses of lukewarm water with a spoon of sugar. If there is foam on top after 5 minutes, you can use it. If not, don't waste your time, it will never make your dough rise. Get another yeast.
In a first big bowl, put:
- the yeast with the 1,5-2 glasses of water
- 2/3 of a glass of olive oil
- 3 eggs.
Whisk until it's very frothy.
In a second big bowl, mix
- 1kg of flour
- 2/3 of a glass of sugar
- 3 tablespoons of salt.
Put this mix inside the first one. Mix with your hands in the bowl for a minute or two, and then knead on the table for 3-5 minutes.
Once it is kneaded enough, the ball should be silky. If it's too sticky, add a bit of flour. If it's too dry, add a bit of water. If you press on your ball of dough with your finger, it should come back.
Rub about a teaspoon of olive oil over the ball of dough and put it to rise in a warm place (on a radiator or dryer for instance) for an hour and a half. Then, press gently on the ball to get the air out and let it rise again for an hour.
Separate challah from the dough, divide it and braid it the way you want. (YouTube is full of videos).
Cover your challot with eggwash (one egg yoke + 3 tablespoons of water).
Let them rise again for 30 minutes in a warm place. Put more eggwash on them, and then sesame or poppy.
Bake them at 170°C until they are golden brown (not too dark brown!!!) and sound hollow when you knock on the bottom. That should be around 30/40 minutes if you divided your dough in 4 halot.
And food for thought while the actual food is in the oven...
(יז) רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן עֲזַרְיָה אוֹמֵר, אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ. אִם אֵין דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין חָכְמָה, אֵין יִרְאָה. אִם אֵין יִרְאָה, אֵין חָכְמָה. אִם אֵין בִּינָה, אֵין דַּעַת. אִם אֵין דַּעַת, אֵין בִּינָה. אִם אֵין קֶמַח, אֵין תּוֹרָה. אִם אֵין תּוֹרָה, אֵין קֶמַח.
(17) Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah says: If there is no Torah, there is no worldly occupation; if there is no worldly occupation, there is no Torah. If there is no wisdom, there is no fear; if there is no fear, there is no wisdom. If there is no understanding, there is no knowledge; if there is no knowledge, there is no understanding. If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour.