The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge (Week 6) Challah

Since I began baking in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge six weeks ago, I’ve received some great response from a lot of my readers. Namely, I’ve had people ask me: what in the world do you do with all of that bread? 

Seeing as I live alone and try to eat from food groups that don’t consist solely of “unbleached bread flour” you are correct in assuming that I don’t consume all of the bread that I bake. So for your reading pleasure, here are a few things I’ve done with some of the breads I’ve baked since beginning the challenge: 

I give it away. It would be nice if I could tout my selflessness here and say that I’ve donated homemade breads to local homeless shelters or community agencies but that’s not quite the case. It turns out that homemade bagels make a great hostess gift and I haven’t walked into my mother’s house in ages without being greeted by “what kind of bread are we getting? 

Say no to store bought bread. I’ll admit to Pepperidge Farm and anyone else who’s interested that it’s been a long time since I’ve purchased store bought bread. It’s not just that I think homemade bread is ten times more delicious so why buy what you can make better, but since I’ve had an excess of bread in the house lately, I’ve crossed the staple off my list and have had toasted brioche with my eggs, turkey sandwiches on sesame seed bagels.

Freeze It. At any given time, if you open my freezer, you'll be greeted with a few things: a container of ice cream, usually half-to-three-quarters eaten, a stack of freezer-safe Ziploc bags full of soup that I made back in March and a plethora of aluminum foil-wrapped packages, all oddly misshapen and unlabeled. Unless I've recently cleaned out my freezer to make a donation to Hungry Family or Friends, I have bread in my freezer, usually enough for any occasion. 

As you might have guessed, this week's featured bread was Challah, a traditional Jewish braided bread most commonly enjoyed on holidays like Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah. My flour was a little dry so the dough was hard to shape but turned out better than I expected. 

I've never been able to braid my own hair - but go figure, I can braid bread. 

For some more information about baking challah, email me or check out these fabulous bakers: 

Baking + Cooking for Two: Petite Braided Challah

Salt & Serenity: Peter Reinhart's Challah

Pete Eatemall: Holla for Challah!

Flour Grrrl: Happy Challah Days Ahead

JennEtcetera: Can I Get a Challah!

Comments

[ATigerintheKitchen]

Nice job! Great coloring on the bread ...

[Lisa]

OK..I just read aout the BBA challenge, very loose and no deadlines, blogroll anymore etc. So, if I happen to bake something from the book, I'll just link it to the BBA challenge and that'l be it! :)

[E.P.]

I've never had Challah before, but it sounds fascinating. I bet I would enjoy making it simply for the braiding part. While I cannot braid my own hair, I'm all about braiding others.

[Julia @ Mélanger]

I love challah. I definitely want to make this bread soon. This one looks lovely!

[Cora @ Cora Cooks and Prairie Wood Kitchen]

Challah is such a wonderful bread and I just love to braid the dough. It is perfect for making my Insanely Delicious French Toast, a wonderful comfort food dinner with maple syrup and homemade sausage. Mmmmm . . .

[Jamie]

I love Challah and used to make it every Friday and a special sweet Challah for the Jewish New Year. It has been so long since I have stopped and seeing your gorgeous Challah I wonder why!

I have also started giving away bread and cakes to friends, my husband brings it to work, etc. But sharing is part of the joy, isn't it?

[RCaitlin]

Wow your food looks delicious!

[Juliana]

Nice challah...love the way you braided...I'll try to do the same next time I bake a bread. Nice pictures!

[Melissa Chapman]

This blog is making me SO hungry- that Challah looks perfect! If you EVER need to get "rid" of any extra food- let me know;)

[Erin]

WOW! Great job!

[grace]

yep, my freezer is LOADED with bread--i won't need to buy any for a loooong time. there's no challah, though, which incidentally is one of my favorite words to say. :)

[A M Y]

Your future husband is going to love you madly

[Daniel]

I too give it out to friends, and co-workers, who are always happy for the bread, but have, as of late started demanding it. This is why I don't give out my homebrewed beer!

Nice work on the Challah!

[Haley J.]

Looks wonderful! I really enjoyed reading what you did with the bread. We have also quit purchasing sliced bread. I am hoping soon that we can cross buns and the like off the list and make those at home too!

[kat]

Wow, it looks amazing! Its been so long since we've bought bread too, homemade is the way to go

[Tammy]

very nice! Love the photos. I braided a round challah. It was a lot of fun and tasty!

[Kate]

Challah has always been one of my favorite breads. I worked in a bakery for five years that made awesome challah, and it's so perfect for french toast or a grilled cheese.

I too have a freezer full of breads and I love it. I slice them before freezing so I can pull out only as much as I need. Makes morning toast so much nicer!

[Laurie Ashton Farook]

Your challah looks great!

And if it's any consolation, I just learned how to brain my own hair this past year. But I have no problem braiding bread either. Go figure.

[Daryl]

It was as good as it looks!!!

[Susie]

Nice braid.
Loved reading what you are doing with all the bread. We are eating most, giving some away and I've never froze bread.
I've gained a few pounds so need to give more away. :)
Great baking along with you,
Susie