This simple raisin bread is made from the challah dough recipe that can be found here. The result is a soft and fragrant sweet breakfast or teatime bread. I especially enjoy it when it’s lightly toasted, with a little extra butter spread on top. The bread may look complex but I assure you that this dough is really quite easy to handle and shape.
Raisin Challah Loaf
Makes 1 Loaf
Adapted from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day
Ingredients:
1 pound of challah dough (recipe found here)
1/3 cup raisins
Butter for greasing cookie sheet
Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 tbsp water)
White sesame seeds
Method:
- Grease a cookie sheet.
- Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1 pound piece.
- Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides.
- Using a rolling pin and just a little flour, roll out the dough to the thickness of 1/2 inch.
- Sprinkle with raisins and roll into a log, starting from the longer end.
- Roll the dough between your hands and stretch it to form a single long thin rope with a tapered end.
- Starting with the thick end of the rope, form a coil on the prepared cookie sheet. Tuck the tapered end under the loaf.
- Allow to rest for 1 hour 20 minutes (40 minutes if you are using fresh dough).
- Ten minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Brush the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Place near the centre of the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- Allow to cool before slicing or eating.
