Braided Cheese-Garlic Challah

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.