Oct 07, 2007
Alright. Here's the deal. I've made challah a bunch on times, mostly using James Beard's recipe from "Beard on Bread"--a must read for the aspiring baker--and it never came out tasting this good.
Virtually fail-proof... The dough turns out smooth, kneading was a pleasure. I used rapid rise yeast, yet Sy's estimated rising times still held (although I always recommend just eyeballing it instead of sticking to a rigid timetable). A little extra sugar for my tastes (probably about 1/3 cup instead of 1/4) made this bread sweet, but not a "sweet bread." I had it with my eggs this morning.
I would advise you give the braided loaves all the time they need to really double in bulk. I thought my bread was ruined because right when I was ready to put it in the oven, some sensor inside the stove failed and it would not get hot. Luckily my aunt lives nearby and I drove the loaves over. So it probably rose an extra 25 minutes over what I anticipated, and there was no yeasty smell or taste to the finished product which has happened to me before with overrising.
And I don't know what people did wrong to get a poor crumb. The texture of this bread is impeccable. And remember, challah is meant to be torn, not cut!
BAKE IT. EAT IT. LOVE IT.
—joshuabakes
