Challah Bread

Ingredients

• 600 ml warm water
• 1 tablespoon dry active baking yeast
• 7 tablespoons honey
• 1.5 kg flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Method

Mix 600 ml warm water with the yeast and let it sit for two minutes — this yeast-fermentation activates the yeast cells without forcing them into shock. Whisk the honey, olive oil, two eggs, and salt together in a separate vessel, then add to the yeast water. The honey dissolves into the liquid and feeds the fermentation; the fat from the oil tenderises the crumb later.

Add the flour in four or five additions, stirring hard after each one. This controlled incorporation — rather than dumping it all at once — lets you hydrate evenly and avoid lumps. Once you have a shaggy mass, knead for ten minutes. The dough will move from sticky and rough to smooth and elastic as the gluten network develops under your hands. You're looking for surface tension: the dough should spring back slowly when you press a finger into it, and it should hold together without tearing.

Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and leave it at room temperature for ninety minutes to two hours. This bulk-fermentation stage is where the dough rises and develops flavour through slow yeast activity. It should roughly double in volume and smell faintly sweet and slightly alcoholic — not vinegary. Punch it down once halfway through if you remember, though it's not critical.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Take one half and divide it into three equal pieces. Roll each piece under your palms into a rope about 30 cm long and as thick as your middle finger. Pinch the three ropes together at one end, then plait them tightly — over, under, over — keeping even tension. Pinch the far ends together firmly and tuck both seams underneath so the loaf looks neat. Repeat with the second half of dough.

Place both plaits on lined baking trays, cover loosely with a damp cloth, and let them rise for fifty to sixty minutes at room temperature. They should increase noticeably in size and feel airy when you press gently — the surface should dimple and spring back slowly. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190°C.

Whisk the remaining egg with a pinch of salt and brush it evenly over both plaits. Sprinkle poppy seeds across the surface. Bake for thirty-five to forty minutes, until the crust is deep gold and the base sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack for at least thirty minutes before slicing.