Photo & Styling by Efrat Lichtenstadt

Yield: 2 challahs

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Level: Medium

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
3 teaspoons dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup water (add more if necessary)
2 slices Tnuva Edam Cheese, cut into small pieces
½ cup fresh basil, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 ½ teaspoons salt
Olive oil and beaten egg for brushing

Instructions:
1. Put the flour, yeast and sugar in a mixer bowl with the dough hook and mix. Add the water and oil.
2. On low speed, knead for 5 minutes until you have a soft, pliable dough. Add more water, one teaspoon at a time, if the dough is dry.
3. Add the cheese, basil, garlic and salt. Continue kneading for another 4 minutes.
4. Remove the dough from the mixer, and form into a ball. Put into a greased bowl and cover with plastic. Leave it in a warm place for about an hour to rise until double in volume.
5. Punch down and knead by hand for a minute, then divide into 8 equal pieces.
6. Form each piece of dough into a ball and place on your work surface.
7. Cover all the dough balls with a piece of plastic or a damp towel and let rise for another 10 minutes.
8. Roll out each ball into a thin circle. Roll up each circle to form a “log.”
9. When all the dough has been rolled out, you can start braiding your challahs, using 4 strands each.
10. Brush each challah with olive oil and cover with plastic. Let rise for another 20 minutes, during which time you preheat the oven to 360⁰F.
11. Brush again with beaten egg and bake for 18-25 minutes, until challahs are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.