Braided Challah

Steps

• 1

  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine water, yeast, salt and egg. Mix in sugar and butter
• 2

  Add in flour and mix until just combined. Do not knead.
• 3

  Pour dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. (At this point the dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, but it's not necessary)
• 4

  Remove dough from bowl and roll into a ball, pulling the sides down and under with your hands and rotating a quarter turn as you go.
• 5

  On a baking stone or parchment paper-lined baking sheet and using a bench scraper, divide ball into thirds. Roll each piece into a long, thin rope, about 12 inches long and 1 inch thick.
• 6

  Braid ropes together from the center outwards and tuck in the ends to ensure the loaf won’t unravel. Let rise on prepared stone or sheet about 1 hour, 20 minutes.
• 7

  Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare egg wash and, using a pastry brush, brush onto the loaf. Sprinkle with poppy seeds as desired.
• 8

  Bake for about 25 minutes or until bread is a deep brown. Allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing.