Challah is also known as braided bread, it’s a simple bread prepared with flour, yeast and eggs. I have made a healthier version my adding wheat flour and banana. It’s very easy to prepare and tastes soft and sweet.
INGREDIENTS
- Wheat flour 3 cup
- Water as required
- Butter 1 tbsp
- Yeast 3 tsp
- Warm milk 1 cup
- Sugar 2 tbsp
- Salt a tsp
- Egg 1
- Cinnamon powder 1 tbsp
- Banana small (elakki ) 3
- Oil 2 tsp
FOR GARNISHING
- Sesame seeds 2 tsp
- Flak seeds 1 tsp
- Egg yellow 1
- Butter 1 tsp
METHOD
In a cup of warm milk add yeast and sugar, stir well. Cover and keep for half an hour. The yeast should froth up. If it doesn’t either the milk is too hot or too cold. Or your yeast is old.
In a large bowl mash the bananas with your hands nicely to a smooth paste. Add the egg and mix well. Add the yeast mixture and salt, cinnamon powder mix well.
Add the wheat flour and incorporate everything well. If you can form a dough then no need to add water. If you can form a dough but its sticky then add some more flour. If you cant form a dough, add normal water and make a soft sticky dough.
The dough should be sticky but you should be able to knead it. Knead it for 5 minutes. Cover with a cloth or a plate and rest for an hour. The dough will double in size, so the vessel you have kept the dough should be big enough.
Beat the dough down and knead it for few minutes.
Grease the baking tray.
Divide the dough into two parts. Take half part of the dough divide I to 3 parts. Roll each 3 parts 8 inch. Join all the three in one end and start braiding(like your hair), once you reach last fold the end.
Keep it on to the greased tray carefully.
Repeat the procedure for the other dough too.
When you have placed the dough on to the baking tray, little apart.
Make a mixture of egg yolks and a tsp of sugar, best it. Apply with a brush on top. Add sesame and flaxseed over the braided bread. Cover and let it rest for twenty minutes( be careful that with whatever u r covering the dough should not touch it or the shape will go). The dough will rise up.
Preheat the oven to 180°C for 20 minutes. I kept in middle rack for 15 minutes and 5 minutes on lower rack.
