• 500 g plain flour
• 1 glass of lukewarm water
• 8g of dry yeast
• 5 yolks at room temperature
• 2 tbsp of oil
• 5 tbp of sugar or 4 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla sugar or vanilla paste
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 beaten egg – to spread over ready to bake challah
• Poppy seeds for decoration
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine warm water with yeast. Add egg yolks, oil, sugar or honey and vanilla sugar. Stir the mass with wooden spoon. Add the flour and a teaspoon of salt. Mix well. Leve for about 5 minutes to let the dough rest. Put the dough on the worktop sprinkled with flour, sprinkle with flour on top and knead it for about 2 minutes. If needed, add more flour. At the end of kneading, the dough should be soft and springy, but not sticky. Shape into a ball and place it in a large bowl with greased with some oil. Cover with foil leave to rise for about 2-3 hours or refrigerate and use the dough in the morning.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator or out of the bowl (if making on the day) and place it on the worktop, sprinkled with flour. Divide into three equal parts. Roll the rollers together at one end and start the braid – (let your fantasy do the work or use youtube for braiding technique if you fancy a challenge
Put the finished challah on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Brush with beaten egg and leave to rise for an hour. Once risen, brush the egg again and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Let it rise again for about 30-60 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Put in the challah and bake for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool down before consumption the challah. Enjoy!