I am aware that it is technically Tuesday, but I started this loaf of bread Monday night at around 11pm. I originally thought that it would only take around 3-4 hours, and it ended up taking 5 hours from start to when I write this. This was the first loaf I made entirely by hand. Normally I let the bread machine do the initial mixing and rise. This time, I used a spoon (metal; I really need to get a wooden spoon!) to mix the ingredients into a rough ball, then kneaded it until it was ready to rise by hand. This recipe came from the bread book my aunt got me. As with the other recipe I have tried from that book, I was surprised by just how good the end result was.
Challah is an easy bread to get wrong, and rather hard to get right. That said, this loaf came out right. The color, interior form, the crumb, and the crust all ended up exactly as they should be. The big secret with challah is just how many eggs go into the finished loaf. With this recipe, it ended up being five. Two whole eggs, two egg yolks, and another yolk brushed on the outside just before cooking. This is very important. The yolk on the outside is what gives it the nice, dark color and the proper taste. I had to use a paper towel, and as the picture shows while this does work, it doesn't quite give full enough coverage to get the coloration right.
(Picture coming tomorrow)
The taste and crumb were also spot on. The taste should be eggy and sweet, but not overpoweringly either. Likewise, the crumb should be clearly layered from the braiding. Each strand should be separate, and when pulled apart should cleanly break into pieces from each strand.
This was, overall, the best loaf of bread I've made. I got every part of it right. Sure I need to do a bit of work on my challah, but it's appearance and things that will get better with practice. Until next time!
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