“A Friday night must begin with warm challah” – Host Aidan

As soon as you walk through the door of Aidan’s weekly Friday night supper club, you will be hit with the incredible smell of Aidan’s freshly baked homemade challah bread – a special bread in Jewish cuisine.

Fancy making this beautiful loaf? Aidan shares his special recipe…

Ingredients

  • 500g Wholegrain flour
  • 300g Plain flour
  • 12g Fine salt
  • 80g Caster sugar
  • 300g Water
  • 10g Dried yeast
  • 80g Butter – softened to room temperature
  • 2 Whole eggs – beaten

Instructions

  1. Weigh the flours + salt together + sift them into a mixer bowl.
  2. Add any coarse grain caught in the sieve back into this once fully sifted.
  3. Add the sugar into a bowl + add 100g of hot water. Whisk to dissolve.
  4. Add the remaining 200g of water, whisk + set aside until room temperature.
  5. Add yeast to the sugar water + whisk thoroughly to dissolve.
  6. Add to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, along with the butter + eggs.
  7. Bring together with the dough hook + then continue kneading with the hook for 5 minutes until a smooth dough is formed.
  8. Flour the work surface + knead a little by hand to make it extra smooth. Place into a lightly greased bowl + leave to proof for at least 1 hour covered with cling film + a cloth. Knock the dough back.
  9. Divide into 3 portions + roll into long sausages. Connect the long sausages of dough at one end + pinch so they’re stuck together.
  10. Plait together in the traditional 3-strand plaiting style + pinch together at the other end to form one single loaf.
  11. Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment + leave to proof for a further 45 minutes to an hour or until nicely risen again.
  12. Brush with egg wash + sprinkle with sesame seeds + rosemary salt.
  13. Bake at 200°c for 15 minutes, turn the tray around in the oven + bake for a further 5 minutes, or until golden brown + making a hollow sound when you knock on the crust.

Learn more about host Aidan and his experiences in London here.