STAR OF DAVID WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH

Star of David Whole Wheat Challah

Bread Ingredients

2/3 cup warm water (120-130 degrees Fahrenheit)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 – 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)

Glaze

1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons sesame, poppy, or caraway seeds

Directions

BREAD MACHINE: Beat the egg and egg yolk, liquid honey, and oil or butter together. Put the warm water, egg mixture, salt, flours and yeast into pan in the order given--making sure that the yeast remains dry. Set the machine on "dough." When the dough is ready, punch it down. Cover and let it rest 10 minutes, and then proceed with the shaping instructions given below.

MANUAL: In a large mixer bowl, combine 1 cup of the all-purpose flour and the yeast. Stir together warm water, honey, oil or butter, and salt; add to mixer bowl along with egg and egg yolk. Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides with spatula. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Using a spoon, stir in all of the whole-wheat flour and as much of the remaining all-purpose flour as you can. On a lightly floured surface knead in enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to make a moderately stiff dough (6-8 minutes). Place in a greased bowl; turn once to grease surface of dough. Cover; let dough rise in a warm place until double (1 to 1 1/4 hours). Punch down. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

SHAPING INSTRUCTIONS:

  • If you prefer to make a simple braided challah, simply divide the dough into 3 ropes and braid them together.
  • If you are making the star and want to make the loaf more fancy, remove and reserve about 1 cup of dough for the star's embellishments, cover and set aside. If you do not wish to embellish the star, do not separate out any dough. Divide remaining dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll each half into a 30-inch long rope. On a greased baking sheet, shape one rope into a triangle, joining ends about one-third of the way down on one side. Join one end of the second rope to the triangle about one-third of the way down on the opposite side from where you joined the ends of the first rope. Form a star by weaving the second rope alternately over and under the first dough triangle. Press ends of dough tightly to seal.

TO EMBELLISH THE STAR: Divide reserved dough into 6 pieces. Roll each into an 8-inch long rope, about 1/4 inch in diameter. Cut each rope in half and, with the 2 halves, form an X over each place where the triangles overlap. Tuck ends of short ropes under the bread to secure. To help the bread retain its star shape, make six 1-inch triangular pieces of foil. Push foil into the holes that form the star points.

GLAZE AND BAKE: Cover shaped dough and let rise in a warm place until nearly double (30-60 minutes). Mix together the remaining egg white and 1 tablespoon water; brush over dough. Sprinkle with sesame, poppy, or caraway seeds. Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden. Cover with foil during the last 10 minutes to prevent over browning, if necessary. Cool on rack.

Makes 1 star-shaped or braided loaf, approximately 16 servings.

Notes:

Please note that while there are things I could have changed in this recipe to make it conform to my own preferences, I chose to be faithful to present this recipe as I found it. If you'd like to use this recipe but make it more healthy by substituting some ingredient(s), by all means do so! For example, you might prefer to use an egg substitute instead of the eggs.

I like to use rye flour and add 2 or 3 teaspoons of caraway seeds to the dough sometimes. If you wish to try that, use 3/4 cup rye flour + 3/4 cup whole wheat flour + 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour.

If you tried this recipe, how did it work for you? Would you like to submit an original, healthy recipe of your own for use on the website? Send me an e-mail or use a contact form to have your say.

This recipe and others like it are available at This link goes off-site.MSN Lifestyle and This link goes off-site.Better Homes and Gardens. By recommending this recipe I do not necessarily endorse all of the material found at the source from which it came or any resources referenced therein.


 
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