Hello again to all my steemian friends !!

Another fun Steemit Culinary Challenge is here by @woman-onthe-wing !
This weeks theme was one of my favorite things to eat and that is: BREAD:)

For a very long time I avoided making homemade bread. It always seemed so complicated and especially having to deal with yeast and the rising.... I just set that challenge aside.
BUT, One day I just decided to go for it and try it out. I am so glad that I did because ever since I've been LOVING to make homemade bread!
Once I came across this challenge I was very excited, not only because I can share my favorite bread recipe, but also to show you how simple and fun handling the bread dough can be.
So I'm taking this opportunity to show a few braiding techniques and bread shapes that might inspire you to try it out yourself and 'wow' your family and guests! :)

Thank you @woman-onthe-wing for this great opportunity! and a big thank you to @gringalicious and @sirwinchester for their sponsorship of this challenge and to @jaymorebeet for judging this competition!
I hope my entry meets the challenge as Ive seen a few delicious entries so far:)

So my entry for the steemit culinary challenge #42 is....

The Perfect Sweet Challah Bread for any occasion!

(with 8 Shaping Techniques for Your Challah )

Enjoy!

Challah is a special Jewish Bread that is usually made for special Jewish occasions. Traditionally, it appears every week on the Shabbat table and on Jewish holidays (except Passover).
I love making it at home! it gives that 'smell of Shabbat' to everyone around.
I've tried so many Challah recipes and ended up with this one as my favorite. It’s a rich, moist, lightly sweetened challah and the egg wash brings out this gorgeous golden crust.
You can sprinkle the challah with any of the toppings suggested in the recipe and can also add raisins to the dough.
Which ever way you choose to make it, its a great way to celebrate any special occasion.

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The Perfect Sweet Challah Bread - Recipe

Ingredients:
5 cups bakers flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
½ cup oil
2 eggs
1¼ cups luke-warm water

For the seasoning:
1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Sesame / poppy seeds

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Method:

Prepare the dough
Whisk the flour into a bowl. Add salt and mix together. Add sugar, yeast, oil and eggs and with a dough hook attachment on slow-medium speed, start kneading the dough.
Gradually add in the water and knead for 10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth elastic and soft.

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Let dough rise
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place somewhere warm. Let the dough rise until doubles in size (about 1½ -2 hours).
Punch down the risen dough, place onto a slightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes.

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Braid the dough - (for shaping and braiding techniques - scroll down)
Here’s where you can be creative on how you want to braid the challah. You can make a 3,4,6 etc... stranded challah braid or any shape you’d like (as in the example pictures below).

Let dough rise a second time
Place the Challah on a baking tray covered with a baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel, place somewhere warm and let rise about one hour.

Brush and season
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
When ready to bake, whisk an egg with a tablespoon of water and brush it all over the challah. Sprinkle with sesame / poppy seeds.

Bake
Bake the Challah at 180°C for 30-35 minutes, or until becomes golden brown (careful not to overbake).

Shaping Techniques for Your Challah Bread:

Flower Rolls

Flower

4 Leaf Clover

2 Strand Spiral

3 Strand Braid

3 Strand Braided Ring

Knotted Buns

Making a 6-Strand Challah Braid:
Once you understand the technique you’ll see how simple it actually is!
The main idea is to start with the outside 2 strands on the right and continue with the 2 outside strands on the left, and again, 2 on the right, 2 on the left, and so on.

1-Starting with the 2 strands on the right:
Take the 2nd strand and cross it over to the other side, ontop of the other strands.
Then take the 1st strand and place it in the middle:

2-Now continue with the left 2 strands: 2nd strand ontop, 1st in the middle:

3-Right side: 2nd ontop, 1st in the middle:

Continue with the left side: 2nd ontop, 1st in the middle...
Repeat this pattern until you’ve ended up with a beautiful braided Challah:

*Do not braid too tight, in order to leave room for the dough to rise properly.

What can you do with leftover Challah?
You can make delicious cheese toast- cut the remaining Challah into slices, place your favorite cheese with any topping you wish (tomato, onion etc… and place in a preheated toaster oven for a few minutes, until challah becomes golden brown.
or
Surprise your family with a French toast breakfast :)

Hope you liked and hope this inspired you to go for it as well and try it out :)

I hope you enjoyed this post
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Thank you all for your comments upvotes and support!

See you soon!

Much love,

@cooknbake