Adapted from The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook by Tom Lacalamita
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast
- Egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon egg wash
Place ingredients in your bread machine and process on “dough” setting.
At the end of the cycle, turn machine off, and then on again for a few seconds to “punch” the air out of the dough.
Place dough on a floured surface for five minutes to rest. At this point the dough can be divided in two for smaller loaves.
To make braided challah, divide dough into three equally sized balls. Roll each into a “snake” shape. Pinch the ends together and braid, pinching other ends together to finish.
To make a round challah, shape dough into one long “snake”. Starting at one end, wrap the dough into a snail shape. Tuck end under and pinch to secure it in place. At this point, you can place a greased ring from a springform pan around the dough – this will keep it round, but might make it rise up in the middle.
Cover dough loosely with a light cloth and let rise for an hour.
Preheat oven to 350. Brush on egg wash and bake 25 minutes for one large loaf, 18-20 minutes for two small loaves, until bread looks golden and sounds hollow when thumped with two fingers.
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