Thursday, December 3, 2015

Traditional Challah



Challah
has to be one of the most
beautiful of all braided breads,
when made properly.

My challah resembled
the giant fish
Julia Child tackled.

Image result for julia child images with giant fish

It just kept growing!
 All the while, a challah
song kept coming to mind
but it wasn't as cute 
as this little sweet 
one.


First up making the sponge;
the most fun step in Rose's bread recipes.
Flour, water, honey and eggs whisked together
and then blanketed with flour, yeast and salt.

Time to add the rest of the ingredients:
eggs, oil, honey and vinegar.
Mixed with the dough hook until
 nice and smooth and definitely tacky.


A few steamy warm risings in between 
a quick knead, the proverbial 
business letter fold, dividing the dough
and braiding.

It baked up to the required internal
temperature
and voila!
Giant challah.



What to do with this massive loaf?
First, toast and tea.


And then a French Toast Casserole. 
It's been on my bucket list forever.
I used this recipe, 
subbing the Trader Joe's dried fruit blend
with golden raisins, cherries and blueberries,
plus one added teaspoon of orange oil.
The aroma bubbling out of the oven
was amazing.


A slight drizzle of  maple syrup
and it was delicious.
The challah texture stands up
perfectly during baking.



I had fun reading about the 
significance of challah
in the Jewish faith.
Very glad this lovely bread
is shared with the rest of the world.
Now I'm off to surprise
my brother with most
of this casserole.
~
by
Rose Levy Beranbaum
















3 comments:

  1. Looks great Vicki!! You are funny - the fish picture made me laugh:) The french toast recipe looks good too. I also made french toast - the challah really takes it to another level.

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  2. Your Julia Child picture was really funny. I made french toast also. It was a beautiful recipe. Really happy you liked it.

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