Jews (and non-Jews alike) enjoy sweet challah as the highlight of any special meal. To make it even more irresistible, we found that we can add a subtle aroma of sage. Without further ado, enjoy a recipe for festive challahs, which you won't be able to resist.
Ingredients
For sage syrup:
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 ⅔ cups water
- 8 sage leaves
- ½ lemon
For the dough:
- 5 ¼ cups flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup ice
For decoration:
A handful of sage leaves
honey
Instructions:
- Prepare the syrup: boil sugar, water, sage leaves and half a lemon in a pot. Lower the flame and cook for 20 minutes to reduce the volume. Cool and put in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Prepare the dough: in a small mixer bowl, place all the dry ingredients in no particular order. Add water and flour and knead at medium speed with a kneading hook for about fifteen minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and wait half an hour.
- Take the ball of dough to a lightly floured work table and cut it in half. Cover with a towel and wait 10 minutes.
- Roll each dough ball into a 24-inch (60 cm) snake shape. Spiral each "snake" into a circular shape and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with a towel.
- After two hours, check if the dough has doubled in size. If so, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) on convection. Brush with honey and sage leaves, then bake for about 25 minutes. If your oven has uneven heat distribution, rotate the pan halfway through.
- When ready, brush generously with the cold syrup.