hollaaaaa bread

the finished products
heading to the oven

andy made challah bread last night. he pronounces it "ch"allah bread, just to be annoying. i pronounce it hollaaaa bread, just to be gangsta. however you choose to say it is up to you, but you should try it because it's really yummy. i mean, who doesn't love homemade bread? tonight for dinner we're having asian shrimp tacos.

stay tuned.

ingredients:
4 tsp dry active yeast
1 1/2 c. water (use hot water out of the faucet, it needs to be between 105-115 degrees)
7 1/2 c. flour
4 eggs, room temp. plus one for egg-wash
3 tbs salt
1/2 c. sugar

to prepare:
-mix yest and water until foamy and let sit for 10 min.
-add the water mixture to the flour and mix (either in a stand mixer on low with a hook or by hand)...we have a stand mixer with a hook and andy still did it by hand.
-add sugar, salt, and the eggs one by one until the dough begins to form and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
-take the dough out of the bowl and kneed until everything is incorporated.
put the dough into a well greased bowl and then flip the dough over so that the other side gets greased, as well.
-cover with a damp dish towel and let sit for 1-2 hours or until dough doubles in size.
-take the cloth off, punch down the dough, kneed it ten times, and divide into two equal-sized balls.
-divide the two balls into 3 equal-sized balls and roll them out into 18 in. long ropes
-braid the ropes, tucking the ends underneath.
-put braided loaves on a lightly greased baking sheet and cover with a damp towel until they double in size (about 30 min.)
-preheat oven to 375
-right before putting them in the oven, crack an egg into a bowl with a tsp of water.
beat the egg and brush the egg-wash over the loaves.
-put the loves in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until browned.