Challah

I think I've mentioned before that my two oldest kids went to a Jewish preschool.  I loved it!  I thought they got a great academic education, but I also loved how they learned about Jewish life, mostly through food and holidays.  Fall always reminds me of the Jewish Center since there are so many Jewish holidays in the fall.  Of course every Friday night is Shabbat.  The center would send home a "Shabbat Box" with each student once during the school year.  Inside was everything you need to celebrate Shabbat at home.  My kids LOVED their turn with the Shabbat Box so much that we started to do our own Shabbat on Friday nights. 
It was kind of hard to keep up since we didn't really have the faith behind the ritual, but it was fun while it lasted.  We've continued to enjoy the challah bread that came with the Shabbat Box.  You can buy challah in the bakery, but it's just not as good as making it at home.  The recipe I have is for two loaves, one to eat and one to freeze.  Now that our family is so big, and it's been so long since I've made it, I think we'll probably eat both tonight with dinner.  As far as bread goes, this is pretty easy to make.  There's not much work involved, but there's about 2 1/3 hrs of rise time, so it's not a bread to start right before you're ready to eat.  It's a braided bread so it not only tastes good, it's very pretty. 

Challah

2 1/2 C warm water
1 TBSP active dry yeast
1/2 C honey
4 TBSP vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 TBSP salt
8 C flour

In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water.  Beat in honey, oil, eggs and salt.  Add the flour one cup at a time, beating after each addition, graduating to kneading with hands as dough thickens.  Knead until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour as needed.  Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 1 1/2 hrs.
 Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto a floured board. Divide dough in half and knead each half for about 5 minutes (I use the mixer and the dough hook.)  Divide each half into thirds and roll out each third into a rope that is about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Pinch the tops of three ropes and braid the strands, pinching them at the bottom to secure.  Either leave as a loaf, or pinch the two ends together, making a ring.  Grease two baking sheets and place braid or round on each.  Cover with towel and let rise an hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and bake the bread for about 40 minutes.   Let cool for at least an hour before slicing.