Mixing the dry & liquid ingredients...
first ferment - 1 hour
Knead 2 minutes to de-gas & then 2nd ferment for 1 hour...
1 & 1/2 times orignial size...
Divided into 3 pieces & shaped into boules - & then a 10-minute rest covered with a towel...
Pieces rolled into three strands - slightly thicker in the middle...
Braid starting from the middle - braid both sides & pinching off both ends
Parchment paper on sheet pan - loaf brushed with egg wash...misted with spray oil & covered with plastic - 60-75 minute proof at room temperature - dough 1 1/2 size original - & then brushed again with egg wash & sprinkled with poppy seeds...
Baked 20 minutes at 350 degrees - rotated pan & then baked for another 20 minutes. 
Registered at 205 degrees after 40 minutes so I removed the bread from the oven... Smelled heavenly!
Probably one of our favorite so far...fantastic with butter & jam...
Tried the Challah again a few days later - the braids did not hold their shape & broke during proofing...
Not as pretty as the first attempt...
But still tasted great!
Yum, looks delicious! Lovely. :)
ReplyDeleteI could go for a slice toasted with butter and jam right about now!! You are making me hungry. I love how you write on the plastic wrap the time. What a great idea. I am always forgetting. I love that we are learning all these tips from one another.
ReplyDeleteYes, great tip! I am always writing on little pieces of paper, envelopes, whatever I can find nearby - especially for the challenge breads. But the plastic wrap makes so much sense. And your second attempt actually looks like you meant to make an artful shape. I would have been tempted to say I meant to do it!
ReplyDelete