Vanilla Challah

For our inaugural post - and our first ever Ranch Recipe - it’s fitting to highlight a recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation at Antelope Trails: our vanilla challah.

The best memories at the Ranch are made when we gather around the table with people we love - something that a freshly baked challah often inspires us to do. For this reason, we always try to bake a loaf for our renters and guests.

My grandmother was the first baker in our family. After surviving the Holocaust as a young girl, she understood the profound joy in simple things, like freshly baked bread. When she would come visit us, she would often bake us one of her lopsided loaves.

This love of fresh bread passed on to her daughter, the matriarch of Antelope Trails. Rarely a day passes at the ranch without her putting the oven to good use - and there are at least two challahs each Shabbat (one is always reserved for Saturday morning’s french toast).

Recently, I’ve started bake challah as well - putting a spin on it with specialty flavors (like cinnamon roll challah & s’mores challah - pictured below), all based on the same original recipe.

And now, when our family gathers, there is a small fleet of children with us - my nieces and nephews - who love nothing more than to help with the baking process. Who knew that the secret to a perfectly braided challah was tiny little hands?

They say that the intertwined braids of challah bread resemble arms joined in embrace. For this reason, it is believed that challah is meant to symbolize love. With all the heart that pours into every loaf - and all the joy our friends and family get from sharing it with us - we think they may be onto something!

Ingredients:

3/4 c water

2 1/4 tsp active dry or instant yeast (1 packet)

2 eggs plus 1 more for egg wash

1/4 c neutral oil like vegetable or canola

3 to 3 1/2 c bread flour

3 tbsp + 1/4 tsp sugar plus additional 1/2 tsp for egg wash

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp vanilla plus additional 1 tsp for egg wash

Preparation:

Place very warm (but not hot) water in a mixing bowl. Add yeast and 1/4 tsp sugar, mixing lightly. Allow to sit for 10 minutes or so, until the yeast is foamy.

Add 2 eggs, 1 tbsp vanilla, 3 tbsp sugar and vegetable oil and mix with a wooden spoon.

Add flour and salt and beat with a dough hook on a mixer or by hand.  If the dough is not holding together as a ball, add a bit more oil or water. If the dough is very sticky, add more flour. The dough is ready when it sticks together as a ball and is not sticky to the touch when you poke your finger in (5-10 minutes of beating). Keep in a bowl and cover with a towel.

Allow to rise at least one hour, preferably more (usually about an hour and a half), until dough has doubled in size. Punch down the ball in the bowl and remove. Punch out all air bubbles.

Braid and place on a greased pan. Allow to rise 20-30 minutes (can be shorter, 5-10 mins is fine).

Top with an egg wash of 1 egg plus 1/2 tsp sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, rotating 180 degrees after the first 15 minutes. Foil if browning too quickly on top.