Playing with Dough is Challah Fun

So one of my many past times is bread baking. Sometimes I get really into it, like I did a few years back for Yule, and made something like 15 loaves as holiday gifts. Other times I just make something simple, like pizza dough or bagels or just a regular loaf of bread. When I’m feeling somewhere in between the plain loaf and a something a bit more elaborate, I like to turn to Jewish challah bread.

The pic above is the proofed and braided loaf, which is basically two batches of dough turned into one. I find when making challah that I need to make two batches to get a nice size, although I could realistically make this half the size, and probably get away with one batch of dough. But hey, two is more fun, so why not. This one just barely made it onto my largest cooking tray.

Although I know challah is not the only kind of braided bread option, I enjoy the challenge of the braid, and trying to get the final glaze and texture right. I’ve had more or less success over the years, but I think this most recent on turned out ok. Here’s the final product after baking and glazing.

And another shot of the process and close-up, for you food nuts like me.