I’ll warn you - today’s post will be long. (Anyone who knows me knows I can be a tad verbose - my usual posts don’t begin to show it!) I will be sharing my love of baking not just bread, but my special Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year, September 19 & 20) challah, and the recipe takes up quite a bit of space all by itself even without my commentary.

This is the very best bread recipe ever; I’ve tried lots of them, and can personally attest to that. Not only is the end result something we truly relish when we eat it - oh, the restraint it takes to wait for the holiday dinner rather than tearing into a freshly baked loaf like ravenous animals! But this recipe will teach you how to bake bread so that you can then move on to other recipes whose instructions aren’t so precise.

Bread machines are a sacrilege; if you own one, please don’t tell me … it will break my heart. There is nothing like homemade, handmade bread with character and individuality! And dumping some flour into a box in order to end up with a square lump cannot begin to compare to the personal satisfaction you will derive from making this challah. Yes, I admit it takes some time and requires that you pay attention rather than being able to plop your ingredients together and walk away while the machine does the work. But the bread is worth it, as are you and your loved ones.

Many -- most -- bread recipes tell you to proof the yeast, knead the dough until it is elastic, and let the dough rise until it is doubled … huh??? If you’ve never baked your own bread before, you have no clue what any of this means; thus, homemade bread has become intimidating rather than comforting. This recipe walks you through step-by-step, so that all you need to know how to do is stir, knead, and set a timer; you simply mix the ingredients, knead the dough, let it rise for a certain time frame, knead it again, etc. And as you follow along, you will see how the dough doubles in size, you will feel its elasticity, and you will be able to put your new baking skills to use in other recipes afterwards. Braiding the loaves is a nice touch, but they can simply be placed into a loaf pan “as is,” if necessary. But trust me - braiding isn’t all that hard to do.

So, are you ready??? C’mon -- bake bread with me!

Challah

I wish I could give credit to the creator of this recipe, to whom I owe an enormous debt of gratitude; but I’ve had my copy for so long, and it’s so beaten up, that the name of the cookbook I found it in has long since vanished among the stains and wrinkles and rips.

This recipe makes 4 loaves of bread, but can easily be halved.

10 cups flour + more for dusting the countertop 2 tablespoons kosher salt 3/4 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup sugar 3 packets quick-rise yeast 1/2 pound Earth Balance butter substitute*, melted + extra for greasing a bowl 2-1/2 cups vanilla soy milk*, very warm to the touch 7 eggs 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon water 4 tablespoons sesame seeds

* Because I don’t keep kosher, I usually make this with butter and buttermilk -- it’s really good! But to keep it pareve (neither meat nor dairy, thus able to be served at any meal), I’ve used a butter substitute and soy milk. FYI: bread dough loves soy milk -- it seems to rise better when using soy milk rather than other milks.

Preheat the oven to 140° F. Place a Silpat or a greased sheet of foil onto each of 4 baking sheets.

In a very large bowl (the one I use has a diameter of 13”), combine the flour, salt and raisins.

Make a well in the center of the flour, and add the sugar and the yeast.

Combine the melted butter substitute and the soy milk; pour into the well and gently stir the mixture, working from the center to the edges of the bowl, until it forms a dry dough.

Place 1 egg and 1 egg yolk into a small bowl; set aside. One by one, stir in the remaining eggs and the egg white until a soft dough is formed.

Sprinkle about 1/2 cup of flour onto the countertop, and turn the dough out onto the flour.

Knead the dough -- pushing it away from you and then folding it back onto itself -- until it is no longer sticky, adding more flour as needed.

Grease another very large bowl with some of the remaining butter substitute. Place the dough into the bowl, and turn the dough over to coat all sides of it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and cover the plastic wrap with a dishtowel. Place the bowl into the warm oven for 30 minutes for the dough to rise.

Lightly flour the countertop (with less than 1/4 cup of flour), and turn the dough out onto the flour. Knead the dough for 1 minute, then return it to the bowl and re-cover with plastic wrap and the dishtowel. Place into the oven for 20 minutes.

Lightly flour the countertop again, and turn the dough out onto the flour. Knead the dough for 1 minute, then return it to the bowl and re-cover with plastic wrap and the dishtowel. Place into the oven for another 20 minutes.

Lightly flour the countertop again and turn the dough out onto the flour; knead the dough for 1 minute.

Cut the dough into 4 portions, keeping one to work with and covering the remaining 3 with a damp dishtowel to keep the dough from drying out.

Cut the ball of dough into 3 pieces.

Roll each of the dough portions into an 18” rope, and place the ropes side-by-side.

Braid one end of the dough: start at the center by taking the left-hand strand and placing it over the rope next to it and laying it between the other two ropes, then taking the right-hand strand and placing it over the rope next to it and laying it between the other two ropes, repeating this procedure until you reach the end.

Braid the other end of the dough: start at the center by taking the left-hand strand and placing it under the rope next to it and laying it between the other two ropes, then taking the right-hand strand and placing it under the rope next to it and laying it between the other two ropes, repeating this procedure until you reach the end.

Carefully place the braid onto one of the prepared baking sheets.

Connect the ends of the braid by overlapping and under-lapping them until a braided circle is formed.

Combine the reserved egg and egg yolk with the honey and the water. Brush this over the dough, making sure to cover all the nooks and crannies, too. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds.

Follow these instructions to form 3 more round braided challahs with the 3 reserved portions of dough.

Place two of the baking sheets onto the top rack of the oven and two onto the bottom rack; alternately, bake the loaves 2 at a time, placing the extra two into the refrigerator so that they don’t rise too much in the warmth of the kitchen.

Bake the bread for 20 minutes with the oven temperature still set at 140° F.

Turn the heat up to 200° F, and bake for 20 minutes.

Turn the heat up to 275° F, and bake for 20 minutes.

Turn the heat up to 375° F, and bake for 10-15 minutes until the challah is golden brown.

Place the loaves of challah onto racks, and let them cool. The breads freeze beautifully, so feel free to prepare them at your convenience and then thaw/re-warm them for serving.

Mary Bilyeu has won or placed in more than 60 cooking contests and writes about her adventures as she tries to win prizes, feeds hungry teenagers and other loved ones, and generally just has fun in the kitchen. The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured next to the blog's title) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15, and is a wish for all her readers as they cook along with her ... may you always be happy here!