BBA #6 - Challah

The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread


I have to say, I am getting very tired of all these enriched breads. I went into the challah episode just hoping to get through it so that I could move on to some ciabatta. However, this bread has proved to be very intriguing - particularly the braiding of the bread.

All together, this was a very fast bread - less than six hours from start to finish. It's fairly basic, apart from the addition of the eggs: mix, knead, rise, degass, rise, shape, rise, bake!
At first the dough was a little sticky and it never quite got the silky texture I was looking for, but it was pretty quick to pass the windowpane test, so I commenced the rising process. After the second rise, the dough had become quite silky and was really fun to work with during the shaping process.

After some debate, I decided to make one smaller loaf, then use the other half to make rolls. I wasn't entirely sure how big the rolls ought to be, so I just divided that half of the dough into six. Then it was time to braid.
This is where I really fell in love with this bread. It just looked so gorgeous sitting there, and the little roll-knots were so cute! I could scarcely stop taking pictures long enough to pop it in the oven. I'm glad I did though, because this bread browned up beautifully. The rolls came out a bit larger than I had expected, but I think they're the right size. Perfect for sandwiches!One note: this bread cooked a LOT faster than the book indicated. I expected the rolls, being small, to cook quickly, but even so they were a bit scorched on the bottom and I pulled the loaf out just in time!