But what sort of bread should I craft? Sure, I could make plain white bread and not buy it at the store. Actually, that would be quite a good move for me. But what if I end up with air bubbles everywhere? That would be extremely sad. Taking a flipping roll through 'The Art and Soul of Baking', I landed on Challah. It’s a beautiful, braided, golden bread that I have seen so many times in the bakery and, though it has aroused my curiosity, I have only had it once at Christmas dinner when one of my zias brought it over.
So I broke out the eggs to get started... And dropped them on the kitchen floor. I stood in the kitchen looking down at that egg and was quite beside myself with a quite temper. I cleaned the darn thing up (not quite broken everywhere for the membrane on the inside had not given way) and heaved a heavy sigh.
The grocer was pretty kind about giving me more eggs to use and laughed with me about my clumsiness. That made it feel much better.
Baking 101 with 'Sur La Table'
Chapter 1: Yeast Bread and Rolls
Dairy Challah Bread
I did not follow Kosher law in that I used milk in place of water to activate the yeast. I did, however, still use oil. I'm pretty sure it was canola, but it might have been extra light olive. What can I say? They sit all cozy next to each other on the shelf and look sort of the same. Mind you, I am running a little low on olive oil lately... Still, I'm pretty sure that it was canola oil.
Whatever. That's probably not all that important at the end of it all. I can be a real stickler on the details sometimes. Just ask my boss - takes eternity to get any writing out of me because I continually hate everything! Honestly, it’s a miracle I can turn a recipe and a picture or two into a blog.
Activating the yeast with warm milk and some honey
I have to say that any occasion to break out the honey is a fantastic adventure for me. I warmed the milk in a glass measuring cup using short bursts with a microwave. I don't have a thermometer, so I did this until it felt warm to the touch and tasted a little creamier. Also, I used skim milk because that's what I drink. (That, and soy milk. Right, not so important that one.) Mix the milk and honey in a mixing bowl and then sprinkle in the yeast.
I didn't take a picture of this because, at the time, the yeast didn't seem to be going off like gangbusters in the milk with the frothing and so forth. I didn't quite think this would be successful... So I didn't take a snapshot for you. I didn't really think that this post was even going to happen.
Swamp-fingers and the First Rise
Not much to say here besides the fact that the swamp fingers made a triumphant return tour. Despite oiling of the hands, the dough was still quite loving. Unlike the last time, however, this one just gathered into a pretty complete ball. After some delicate massaging to knead the dough, I dumped it in a plastic tub and let the sucker rise. Thank goodness for plastic bins with lids. (Go Rubbermaid!)
No Knead, The Second Rise
No kneading the second time around (thankyouthankyouthankyou)! Lightly flouring a working surface, plop the dough and smack it down to release the air bubbles but, as the book says, don't knead it (or you'll make it much harder for yourself and you'll have to wait for it to rise again). You split the dough into three pieces and roll it out into even strands. For me, this was a combination of rolling it against the counter with flat palms and also by squeezing along the length. It isn't too tricky if you flour your hands first because then it won't stick to you too much.
Pinching at one end, you braid down and pinch the other. Tuck the pinches underneath and cover it with plastic and let it take a deep inhale. Second Rise!
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| After braiding the bread, you cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for 40-50 minutes. My oven was making my tiny kitchen quite warm so it took a little less time. And I was scared that I had killed the yeast... They came through for me all the same! ^__^ |
Beat an egg briefly in a dish until well mixed. Using a gentle brush, brush the entire surface of the loaf with the egg wash. Be careful that it doesn't go pooling in the braid because that is quite a trick to even out (paper towel helps but not much). Sprinkle the top with poppy seeds or, if you're like me and you don't have poppy seeds (read: I have poppy seeds and was unable to find them on wanting to sprinkle), I used chia seeds for the same effect.
Chia seeds are pretty similar except that poppy seeds are globular and Chia seeds are very slightly elliptical. Also, Chia seeds are slightly lighter in colour with a brownish tint and the odd one is an off-white.
Bake it in the oven until it’s a deep rich brown (even on the bottom). Seeing if the bottom is brown is a little tricky. I baked on parchment paper so I just lifted up one of the corners to look through it for a darker brown colour.
Cool it entirely on a wire rack (on the windowsill if you want to show off just a little bit more) and the nom it down!
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| Fresh baked bread on the windowsill. The window was, however, closed because it was blinking hot outside and it wouldn't have served me any good. Plus, I couldn't have a mischievous imp running off with it! |
I have to say that, all in all, this bread recipe was definitely much higher on my list than the previous bread recipe. I'm not sure why exactly. No, that's a lie. I liked this recipe more because I didn't have to knead the bread a second time and have it stick all over my fingers... again. I also love that braided look and the deep brown colour. Given, bread doesn't smell as awesome as cookies in the kitchen. It does, however, taste awesome with butter, jam... almond butter, Nutella (They had samples at Costco. Brilliant!).
Next time I make this bread, there will be bread pudding... Oh, yes. There will be bread pudding.
Enjoy your baking and keep on being awesome.
I wish you peace, I wish you love and I wish you lots of awesome baking in the kitchen!
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