Many years ago, I taught a method of making challah that can be used with kids because it’s a little less messy and just fun. It involves mixing all the ingredients in a plastic bag and allowing the dough to rise in the bag. Iris Fox, a friend who took the class, says she still uses that recipe when she bakes with young kids.
Ingredients
- Up to 4 cups, divided flour
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup oil
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 package yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- Egg wash (1 egg beaten)
Instructions
You’ll need a very large zip-top plastic bag. Add about 2 cups flour, 1 cup water, ⅓ cup oil, 2 lightly beaten eggs, 1 package yeast. Close the bag and smush everything until it’s well mixed. Add more flour (up to 2 cups) and 2 teaspoons of salt and continue smushing until you have the dough consistency you like. Then put it in a warm place to rise. You should allow about 2 hours for the first rise. (You can also put it in the refrigerator overnight, but then bring to room temperature before you start to braid the bread.)
Remove the dough from the bag and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until it forms a soft and not too sticky ball. Form the dough into whatever shape you desire. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet, cover and allow to rise for about 1 hour. Brush with egg wash and bake in 400º oven for about 10 minutes. Turn down the oven temperature to 375º and continue baking until internal temperature of 180–190º is reached.
