Make This Bread!
You won't be sorry!
And, as an extra added bonus, if you have kids, they'll get a big kick out of it too.
It's supposed to be challah, but I don't know how closely it resembles the real thing. I do know that it is a dense, yummy, stand in the fridge and pick at it at midnight white bread.
Put this stuff in a big gallon-sized Ziplock bag:
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups unbleached or all-purpose flour (you can use all-purpose flour for all of it you want)
2 pkg. of Rapid Rise yeast or 1 1/2 tbsp. instant-active bulk yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
Squeeze the air out and zip it up, then hand it to a little punk and tell him to squish it really good.
Now, add in this:
1 2/3 cups very warm water. (Not hot, that will kill the yeast, but not too cool, that will make it take FOREVER to rise)
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 cup honey (or thereabouts. Measuring honey is a pain in the butt)
Zip it up (don't forget to sqeeze out the air) and hand it to the little punk again for a good squishing.
It should start to kind of cling to itself and pull away from the bag, like the consistency of play-doh. If it doesn't, add a 1/4 cup more flour at a time 'til it seems right.
Now take it out and give it a good sniff. Ooooh, I love the smell of bread dough! Go on, no one's looking.
Well, maybe someone is looking...
Next, turn the whole thing out on a floured surface and kneed it a few times. Then, cut it into three equal parts, and roll them each like you would if you wanted to make a big play doh snake. line up side by side, and then braid them. See how much fun this is?
Now mix up about 1/4 cup sugar with equal parts corn meal and sprinkle that on a greased cookie sheet.
Plop your braid on top, and let it rise until doubled in bulk. This should take about an hour.
Preheat your oven to 350, and if you want your bread to be shiny, brush a little egg white on top. Then, bake the whole mess for about 45 minutes.
Prepare for the mouthwatering smell of baking bread! It's a dead giveaway to the rest of the family, and they'll all be in your kitchen hollering, "Is it ready YET?"
Get yourself a big tub-o-butter, get your elbows out to fend off the other bread fiends, and have at it!
