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.
1 View gallery Sweet round challah by Michal Bouton and Anna Shapiro ( Photo: Amita ) Ingredients For sage syrup: 1 1⁄2 cups sugar 1 2⁄3 cups water 8 sage leaves 1⁄2 lemon For the dough: 5 1⁄4 cups flour 1⁄3 cup sugar 1 tablespoon dry yeast 2 teaspoons salt 1⁄4 cup oil 1 cup water 1⁄2 cup ice For decoration: A handful of sage leaveshoney 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 ba.
