Oh, Hello!
I know its been a while. I’ve been baking. but not blogging or taking pictures. Life has been CRAZY. My boys started kindergarten in August. So, I’ve got three kids in three different classes, and that means 3 different teachers who want my time. Which is a lot. Plus, I’m training for another marathon, and planning another Ragnar Relay. so, I’m busy. But hopefully I’ll be back here more often. Gotta get back into the habit..
So, that brings us to this week’s assignment: Challah. I’ve baked this one before, and I bake challah almost every week for french toast or for my synagogue. My standard recipe is from Marcy Goldman and uses fresh yeast. This recipe isn’t really all that different except that it uses milk and butter. Which makes this bread delicious. BUT it makes the bread dairy (duh). But people who keep kosher don’t mix meat and milk, and challah is traditionally served at shabbat dinner. In most homes Shabbat dinner is a meat meal–soup, roast chicken, etc. And so a bread with milk and butter in it just won’t fly.
I mixed it up this morning when I realized that we were running low on french toast. I managed to get it all kneaded together before we left for school and popped it in the fridge to rise. In the evening I braided it, let it rise and baked it off.
of course, my house smelled delicious.
I sliced into it today to taste it with some butter. It was delicious. Tomorrow it’ll turn into about 20 slices for French toast.
To see some other lovely examples of this challah, visit the LYL post at Tuesdays with Dorie
Bake with Amy 
You are amazing! Three kids, training for a marathon, AND baking beautiful bread? You go girl!
Ha! Thanks!
No wonder your challah looks totally professional! 😀
I actually ended up making a non-dairy challah because I was sharing it with a Jewish friend… I used Peter Reinhart’s recipe which worked really well.
That is an impressive looking challah! And how great that you make it so often. I can’t wait to try mine for French toast! Is there much of a difference using fresh yeast? The only other time I used fresh yeast, was for croissants.
I only started using fresh yeast after the croissant recipe. I could only find it sold by the pound, so I had a lot of yeast left over. I freeze it in one-ounce packets and defrost it overnight before using it. Other than that, it’s basically the same. My guess is that I could replace it with active-dry yeast without much change in the bread.
Did you use part whole wheat flour? Your challah has such a beautiful texture and look – I’m jealous. I had a weird hump in the middle of mine because I did the braiding from the middle wrong but oh well, it was still delicious! 🙂
I did use about 1/3 whole wheat flour, I don’t measure anymore when I bake bread, so I can’t tell you exactly how much I used. It took me a LONG time to be able to start from the middle and braid it correctly. But I think you get a prettier braid than starting at the end. BUT you have to reverse (go under) for the second half. Does that make sense?
Very nice looking loaf. The wheat gives it such a pretty color.