Zomick's Challah - Traditional Bread Recipe

Each ethnicity has its own customs and traditions. The bread takes a central part of each culture. It is the most important dish of every national cuisine. As soon as we hear "ciabatta" or "focaccia" we know for certain - it's about Italy. "Croissants" and "baguettes" - this is France. But the "challah" or "challah bread" is a Jewish traditional loaf.

There is so much history, traditions, tributes to the past, respect, admiration and celebration, in this bread. One of the most recognized in New York City is the challah prepared by Zomick's bakery - the famous Zomick's Challah Bread. Many of the regular visitors of this New York kosher bakery say that when they eat this bread they kind feel involved in the great heritage of the Jewish community and respect what surrounds them and their families. Even people that did not grow up in a religious family... and properly pluck out a halo, and blessing words, think that the gag that is inside is born, when baker kneads, pecks, and then treats the family with this Zomick's challah bread. I think that that love and purity transmitted along with a slice of Zomick's challah bread is felt and accepted by everyone you treat them to. So today we present how to bake the most traditional, festive, rich, beautiful and delicious Jewish bread, prepared by following the strict guidance of the Zomick's challah recipe.

We take 1 large or 2 small bowls: 2.5 cups of white wheat flour, 2 yolks and 1 egg, 150 ml. warm water, 2.5 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1.5 teaspoons of dry yeast and 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

For preparing this Zomick's Challah recipe, in the water we first put sugar and yeast. Then, each egg is broken into a separate cup and carefully separate the yolk from the egg white. The two yolks together with the whole third egg, we pour them to a mixture of water and yeast and mix thoroughly. Let the proteins mix with the yolks, and the sugar and yeast will dissolve in the liquid.

Next, mix the flour with the salt in a separate bowl.

Once mixed add to the flour the liquid from eggs and yeast and begin to knead the dough.

When the dough is finished we put it in a bowl greased with vegetable oil, covered over the top with a clean towel and left to tighten for 1 hour. After an hour, knead the dough and leave it for another hour. After all these pleasant and intense expectations, the dough should increase at least 2 times.

Just like any other challah, and the Zomick's challah is traditionally braided in the shape of a pigtail. It is said that the baker, who believed that the braids of his beloved are so beautiful in nature, are said to have been so intentional, and that's why this festive bread was given this form. You can make this braid out of three, and four, five and six plaits.

Each piece is rolled into a smooth ball. We cover it with a clean towel and leave it on the table to relax, get used to, remember and even fall in love with your new (round) form for 10 minutes.

Then each ball rolling with fingers and palm turn into a lozenge.

We fold one edge to the middle of the flat cake and ...

To meet him the other edge to the middle, press the seams and ...

Fold the resulting blank in half.

The obtained sausages begin to turn in turn into plaits.

Make them approximately 50-60 cm in length. Zomick's bakers roll plaits of unequal diameter along the entire length. But, here I prefer to do them with thickening in the middle and that's it.

Roll out easier in two stages. A little rolling and put it aside. Then roll another. Let the first rest for a while, but when you the second time it will be rolled, he will thank you for it (for the rest) ... Well, it will be very easy to unroll.

Prepared plaits bind from one upper edge and begin weaving. Our system will be conditionally called 3-2-1.

First, for this challah bread we shift the most extreme right plaits, through the 3 neighboring left (naturally) plaits.

Then the leftmost plait is shifted through 2 adjacent (naturally) to the right of it.

And without releasing this former one is already the first on the left, and now the third plait from the hand is changing its places with the neighbor on the left, the second with the plaits.

And so we braid the Zomick's challah.

The ends are tightly twisted. so that we do not disentangle and tuck them down. We remove this braided beauty with a towel covered for another 1.5-2 hours for the final proofing of this challah bread from Zomick's bakery.

And now it remains only with awe and with love to grease the challah with yolk and sprinkle it with sesame seeds or poppy seeds and bake it in a preheated owen at 190 degrees oven for 20-25 minutes.

Soft. Fluffy. Aerial, shiny, tender and fragrant Zomick's challah I think nobady will be disappointed with the Zomick's bread taste. And only on preparing it on Shabbat holidays or Rosh HaShana ... such breads are quite worthy of being on our table and just for fun and everyday mood. Good luck baking and a nice appetite with this Zomick's challah bread!