Time for friends
I am a person of friends, for me friends are like oxygen.I can't live without them.
Friends for me are a reassurance of free will ,optimism and independence.And without those,I can't see myself existing.Before I came to Italy, I had a lot of friends back home, lots of kinds of friends (at some point in your life, you realise that the one and only friend module just doesn't work)Well,I made few friends since I came to live in Italy and I am really happy I met these people at this stage in my life.It is one thing dealing with a forigne country when you are all alone , and it's a total different thing when you have friends. Nonetheless when they are trying to get used to this country as well (you can vent about same things together, a great therapy)
I love having friends over, especially when we are getting together for a dinner or lunch. But meeting friends for brunch is something that I really like. I love the easy going invironment that surronds this time of the day,the laughs, good talks and all the baked goods that we usually have when we get together . So when I have friends for brunch, I love spoiling them by doing the thing I love doing the most, that is :baking!
Last sunday I had a friend coming over with her kids and we were both excited about having a brunch outside on the balcony, it was really nice : kids were playing ,we were talking, eating and drinking. When the Challa I baked that day came out, it was like the cherry on top of the wipped cream. Everybody loved the Challa I baked for brunch and soon it was all vanished and disappeared. I took the recipe for this chala from
Smitten's Kitchen.
Challa (makes two loaves of straight braided challa)
Ingredients
1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (11 grams)
1 tablespoon (13 grams) plus half cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil , plus more for greasing the bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon (14 grams)salt
1 kg all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins (about 70 grams), soaked in hot water and drained
poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling
Method
Use a large bowl to dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
2. Wisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time , with the remaining sugar and salt. Gradually, add flour.
When dough holds together , it is ready for kneading.
3. turn dough into floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and greas, then return dough into the bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place for one hour , until almost doubled in size .Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half an hour.
4.Knead the raisins into the challa. To make a 6 braid challa, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls . With your hands , roll each ball into a strand 22 cm long and 1/2 cm wide.Place the 6 strands in a row , parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together and start making a braid, then tuck the ends underneath.
Put braided loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with a space of at least 2 cm in between.
5.Beat the 5th egg and brush it on the loaves, let rise for another hour.
6.Preheat oven to 180°c and brush loaves with egg again, sprinkle bread with poppy seeds or sesame.
7. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden.
Note: You can freez challa and take it out one hour before eating, it will still taste
still taste good.
This challa bread makes a wonderful breakfast with james or whatever spreads you like to use with it.
Happy Baking!
