Marsha’s Challah

Ingredients

• 8-10 cups flour
• ½ cup butter
• 1 ¾ cup boiling water
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp allspice
• 2 packages yeast
• ¾ cup warm water
• 4 eggs

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in ¾ cup warm water (110-115 degrees) stir in 1 tsp sugar. Allow to stand 15 minutes. (Yeast mixture should be bubbly) 
2. Mix 3 eggs and the white of the 4th, reserve the yolk for the top of the bread.
3. Melt butter in boiling water in a large bowl. 
4. Add flour, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and allspice to food processor. When just lukewarm, add the yeast and egg mixture. Mix well and as you mix, gradually stir in more flour if needed.
5. Blend all for 5-7 minutes. 
6. Grease large bowl, place dough in this bowl, oiling the top of the dough so that it does not dry out. Cover and leave in a warm place until dough has doubled in bulk (2-2 ½ hours)
7. When dough is ready, knead by punching down. Then divide into 4 equal sections. Take each section and divide in thirds. [optional: knead in raisins or other dried fruit.] Braid dough and place loaf on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise until double (1/2 to 1 hour).
8. Beat egg yolk and mix with a little cold water. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg yolk mixture on each loaf. [optional: Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds.]
9. Bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes until well browned.
10. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes
As a child, I would spend hours with my grandmother, Dora, in the kitchen mixing, kneading, shaping and baking challah.  Grandma made her challah by feel – a bissel of this and a bissel of that – no recipe.  She passed away when I was 13, before I could master her challah-making secrets.  This recipe is the closest I’ve ever found to her challah.  – Marsha Friedman