Fonott kalács / Challah / Kalach / Chalka

It is a traditional soft sweet bread enjoyed in the holidays in Eastern European and Jewish cultures.

Level: Easy

Serves: 16

Prep: 3 hours 15 minutes

Cook: 35-40 min

Ingredients:

Dough:

100ml + 300ml milk

2tbsp dry yeast

100g sugar

800g plain flour

100g butter (lukewarm)

1 egg + 2 egg yolk for egg-wash

1tsp salt

Preparation:

For the dough, warm up 100ml milk (only lukewarm – otherwise you can ruin the yeast). Stir in the yeast and the sugar.

Put the flour in a large mixing bowl. Form a well in the middle and pour in the yeasty-milk. With a fork mix in a little bit of the flour (only enough flour to make the consistency like gravy) and leave the majority of the flour untouched. Cover it with cling film and set it aside, to activate the yeast, for 1 hour.

Mix in all the other ingredients and knead it with a hand mixer for about 5-10 minutes until smooth and stretchy. Cover it with cling film and set it aside again to proof for 1 hour.

Butter a 24cm x 32cm x 6cm baking dish.

Knead the dough a little bit, then half it. (It makes 2 sweet bread). Put one half aside (or in the freezer for another time). Divide the half into 4 equal pieces and roll them out to a 50cm long rope. Now you are ready to plat.

When you have done, fold in the ends and put the bread into the buttered baking dish. Cover it with a cling film and let it rest for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven (NOT FAN OVEN) on 200C.

Beat the egg yolks and brush it over the top of the bread, then turn the oven down to 170C and bake the sweet bread for 35-40 minutes. Serve warm with butter. Enjoy!