Ingredients & Prayers for your family  that go with them:

  • More of the Ruach Ha-Kodesh: 1 cup warm water (about 100 degrees)
  • Keep us far from sin: 2 teaspoons active dry yeast (approx 1 packet)
  • Thank you for a solid Foundation in Yeshua: 4 – 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • Thank you for a spirit of sweetness: 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • Help us be the salt of the Earth: 2 teaspoons salt
  • Thank you for abundant life: 2 large eggs
    • 1 large egg yolk (reserve egg white for egg wash)
  • Pour your anointing on us, Adonai: 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

Directions:

Note: Make sure your yeast hasn’t passed its expiration date, or it might not work the way you want it to.

Step 1: Mix the yeast, sugar, and warm water together in a small bowl. Mix lightly, then set aside for about 5 minutes, or until a bit of foam forms on the top.

Step 2: Whisk together 4 cups of flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

Step 3: Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the whole eggs, yolk, and oil. Use a spoon or spatula to stir until everything is mixed. Still, the mixture will be dry and have lumps.

Step 4: Pour the yeast mixture over the flour mixture once it is ready. Mix until you get a wet, lumpy dough. Stop scraping the sides when the dry ingredients are well mixed.

Step 5: Knead the dough on low speed for 6–8 minutes, adding flour 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, using the dough hook attachment on your mixer. If you don’t have a mixer, knead the dough by hand for about ten minutes. Add enough flour so that the dough doesn’t stick to your hands but is still slightly sticky. After you knead it, it should be soft and stay in a ball shape.

Step 6: Put the dough in a bowl that has been lightly greased. Cover it and put it in a warm place for at least 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Step 7: Cut the dough into six equal pieces for a six-strand braid or three pieces for a three-strand braid. Roll the dough into ropes that are 16 to 18 inches long. If they don’t stay in shape, give the dough 5 more minutes to rest.

Step 8: Put a silicone mat or parchment paper on a baking sheet. Set the dough ropes next to each other and pinch the ends together. Lay flat and braid in any way you like. Then, cover the challah bread and let it rise for another hour.

Step 9: Set the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Then, combine the egg white that you saved with about 2 teaspoons of water. Spread it all over the loaf that has risen, including down the sides and into the spaces between the braids.

Step 10: Bake the challah for about 30 minutes. Halfway through, turn it over. The bread is done when it is browned all over and the temperature inside is 190 degrees F. Let the bread sit at room temperature for a while.