Challah Bread

The longer I look at this, the more it looks like a swaddled baby. Is that weird?

It's that time, y'all. The weather is crisp and cool and this means we can now - at last! - start baking like the secret baking fanatics we are. At least, that's what I do. And man, let me just say here and now that I have great baking plans for this winter. Plans that involve donuts and french bread and maybe even some bread pudding if we're really being honest about expectations. 

But for now, let's talk challah. And before you think me all pretentious, I need to confess that I don't know how to pronounce "challah." Is it with a hard "CH" or is it a just a gutteral "ch"? This is really the kind of thing I should know since I'm about to give a tutorial about it, but despite the fact I have the entirety internet at my fingertips, I still have no idea. Mostly because I decided it's far more important that I know I can make it than to pronounce it. Priorities, people.

The recipe starts with a sponge, which is a fancy name for a flour, yeast, and water mixture. You make it before you make the rest of the bread to give the yeast more time to activate, which results in a tastier bread. And hoo boy, was it tasty. I ate the finished product with some honey butter, and it was fantastic. It has a fine, chewy crumb, making it an excellent candidate for french toast. Or just regular eating.

Sponge. Which is named aptly - it develops air bubbles as it sits.

Soft, pliable dough.

I can braid bread!!

That braid you see above is actually much easier than it looks. You can do it. I promise. It's one of those things that looks way harder than it is. And if you have difficulty, just youtube it. There are tons of tutorials for four-strand braids - or six strand braids, if you want to get really, really fancy. (That first link is worth watching for the music alone, fyi.)And may I just say how cool it is that you can braid bread? I love how something as simple as braiding dough elevates it. 

Enough of all this talk - go make yourself some challah! 

Challah
Adapted ever so slightly from King Arthur Flour All-Purpose Cookbook

Sponge
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup (8 ounces) water
2 teaspoons instant yeast

Dough
3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup (2 3/8 ounces) sugar
1/4 cups (1 3/4 ounces) vegetable oil
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk (save 1 egg white for the wash, below)

Wash
1 egg white
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon water

Sponge: Stir together flour, water, and yeast in a bowl, then ignore for at least 45 minutes.

Dough: Mix all the dough ingredients into the starter, then knead together, either by hand, mixer, or bread machine, - until the dough is satiny. Spray some Pam in a bowl, put the dough in it and turn it around to coat it, then let rise in a warm, draft-free spot (like an oven with the light turned on) for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it has poofed to roughly double its original size.

Gently deflate the dough by pressing on it, then divide it into four pieces. Roll each piece into an 18-inch log.

Pinch the four ropes of dough together at one end, then move the left outside rope to the middle of the right two strands. Move the right outside rope and place it to the inside left. Continue this pattern of placing the outside piece of dough on the inside of the opposite side, until the pieces are all braided, then pinch the ends together and fold the ends under the loaf slightly. (This may all be a little confusing. Please watch a you-tube video. It's so much easier than it sounds.)

For the wash, whisk together the reserved egg white, sugar, and water. Brush the loaf with some of the mixture, then cover the loaf with greased plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour.

About forty minutes into the last rise, preheat the oven to 375F. After the dough has risen and doubled, Use the rest of the egg wash to coat the loaf, brush the loaf with the remaining egg wash and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust has become golden and your house smells like a bakery. Let cool for about an hour and a half until completely cool, then eat.