Challah

Kosher bread that can be served with meat (no dairy)

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Course Side Dish

Ingredients

Yeast Starter

1 cup warm water
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

The rest of the dough

4 cups all-purpose flour
7 large egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt, preferably sea salt from the Mediterranean
6 tbsp EVOO early harvest, picked by pale moonlight?

Topping

2 large egg whites, beaten
3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds or Challah topping mix

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix the yeast with the warm water.
Add a large pinch of sugar, and stir.
Let sit 10 minutes, until you see a foamy layer on top.
In a marge bowl, combine the rest of the dough ingredients.
Add the yeast starter and stir well, until t he dough is too hard to mix with a wooden spoon.
Transfer to a lightly-floured work surface and knead by hand for 10-15 minutes - until soft and smooth. If the dough is too sticky, add a little bit of flour and work it in. If the dough is too dry, add an egg yolk or 1 tbsp water.
Place the dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl, cover, and let sit in a warmish spot for 1.5-2 hours - until it doubles in size.
Punch the dough down, return to a lightly-floured work surface, divide into 3 equal pieces.
Roll each piece so it's around 16-18 inches long, and taper the ends (last 2-3 inches)
On a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet, loosely braid the Challah.
See below.
Cover and let rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes.
This is a great time to preheat your oven to 350F
Whish the egg whites and brush the loaf, then sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
As with all breads, let this cool to room temperature before slicing.

Notes

Lay the 3 strands beside each other.
Pinch the tapered ends of the top together.
Strand on the right crosses over the middle.
Pull the formerly middle more to the right.
Repeat on the left side.
Repeat both steps until done.
Pinch the tapered bottoms together. Wet them a little bit if needed to make them stick. You can tuck the bottom and top pinched parts underneath the loaf to make it more pretty.