Challe

Start with the yeast mixture. Mix the yeast, sugar and a little of the water (50 to 60 ml) and leave it at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the middle and add the eggs, the oil, the yeast mixture and the rest of the water. Mix everything with your hands or a fork by working a little bit of flour into the dimple and then kneading everything with your hands into a ball.

Knead the dough on a floured countertop to a smooth ball. Place it in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and let rise for at least 1 hour, until the volume has doubled.

Knead again vigorously and let rise again to double volume, about 45 minutes.

Knead again briefly and vigorously and divide the dough (first in two for 2 small Challes, then) into four equal parts. Roll each part on a floured countertop to hoses of about 2.5 cm thick and 40 cm long.

Press the ends of 4 tubes together and lay out as a fan in front of you on the work table. Braid into a nice bread as follows:

Lay the role to the far left under the two middle ones.

The same roll back over the role right next to him, so where he just went under.

Now place the rightmost role under the 2 middle ones.

The same role back over the role to the left of him, so where he just went under.

Repeat these operations until the entire dough is plaited.

Place the bread on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Spread the Challah dough with egg white and let rise for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 220 ºC.

Spread the dough again carefully with egg whites and sprinkle with poppyseed or sesame seeds if desired. Turn the temperature down to 190ºC after 10 minutes. Cook for about 30 minutes until the bread is golden brown. (For 2 small Challes to adjust the time a bit)