A glossy braided challah — a soft, lightly sweet enriched bread plaited and glazed with egg, sprinkled with poppy seeds and baked golden. Perfect for sharing.
- 500g Strong White Bread Flour
- 70g Caster Sugar
- 10g Yeast
- 2 Beaten Egg
- 70 ml Sunflower Oil
- 1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds
Video
Preparation
- Combine the yeast, a pinch of the sugar and a couple of tablespoons of lukewarm water in a small bowl, stir to dissolve, and leave for 10 minutes until foamy.
- Meanwhile, combine the flour, remaining sugar and 2 tsp fine salt in a large bowl. Make a well, add half the beaten egg, the yeast mixture and the oil, then pour in 200ml lukewarm water and stir, bringing the dough together with one hand. Add a little extra water if it's too dry — it should be moist but not soggy.
- Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and springy, adding as little flour as possible. Shape into a ball, roll around a lightly oiled bowl to coat, cover with a tea towel, and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour, until doubled.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment. Turn the dough out and divide into three equal pieces, rolling each into a 25cm sausage tapered at the ends. Lay them parallel, join them at the top, plait down the length, and tuck the ends under. Transfer to the sheet, cover loosely, and leave to rise until puffy, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Gently brush the loaf all over with the remaining egg, getting into the crevices, and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Bake on the middle shelf for 25–30 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding underneath, covering with foil after about 15 minutes if it browns too fast.
- Leave to cool on a wire rack, then serve.
