Back to the kitchen! I have been blessed with a very well-behaved baby, and he is kind enough to allow me the time to tinker around in the kitchen. Since my husband isn't quite back to work yet and I am determined to get back into my pre-pregancy jeans as soon as possible...I opted to continue with my Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge instead of another sweet treat. Especially since I took Challah out of order, I wanted to get back to it and save Cinnamon Buns for another week. And I finally decided on the right use--burger buns. It makes perfect sense, since Challah is a fast-to-make, soft, white loaf, enriched with eggs.
I did want to try the Challah shape, though. I never have braided a bread, and my attempts at shaping very complex and pretty breads often fail miserably. I found this one not too hard, though. I am a girl, and therefore have known how to do a three-strand braid since about kindergarten. It shouldn't be that difficult.
It crossed my mind to attempt some of the fancier braids...but I'd rather have something turn out right this time!
I am getting used to just having an extra cup of flour standing by for the recipes in this book. Here again, I needed almost the entire cup to get a dough that wasn't really sticky, just a bit tacky to the touch. But a lovely, golden yellow dough I did eventually get, and it rose quickly for me.
I divided it into two parts, then made 6 burger buns with one half and three long strands with the second. Braided, washed with egg wash and baked, this really was one of the prettiest loaves of bread I've ever made. It just worked very well, had a beautiful color, and stayed together even when I thought it would certainly split open like the Greek Bread had. I waited to slice it until it was completely cool, and found a nice, tight crumb, not unlike a good soft sandwich loaf. The texture was really close to that, too--soft, lightly sweet, and tender. It'll make some fine French Toast or bread pudding in the days to come. The burger buns, which I didn't snap a picture of, turned out very well too, though I didn't flatten them and they were more like yummy dinner rolls! All in all, a very good recipe--at least I think, because I have never made a Challah before.
Next week...Cinnamon Buns!!
I did want to try the Challah shape, though. I never have braided a bread, and my attempts at shaping very complex and pretty breads often fail miserably. I found this one not too hard, though. I am a girl, and therefore have known how to do a three-strand braid since about kindergarten. It shouldn't be that difficult.
It crossed my mind to attempt some of the fancier braids...but I'd rather have something turn out right this time!
I am getting used to just having an extra cup of flour standing by for the recipes in this book. Here again, I needed almost the entire cup to get a dough that wasn't really sticky, just a bit tacky to the touch. But a lovely, golden yellow dough I did eventually get, and it rose quickly for me.
I divided it into two parts, then made 6 burger buns with one half and three long strands with the second. Braided, washed with egg wash and baked, this really was one of the prettiest loaves of bread I've ever made. It just worked very well, had a beautiful color, and stayed together even when I thought it would certainly split open like the Greek Bread had. I waited to slice it until it was completely cool, and found a nice, tight crumb, not unlike a good soft sandwich loaf. The texture was really close to that, too--soft, lightly sweet, and tender. It'll make some fine French Toast or bread pudding in the days to come. The burger buns, which I didn't snap a picture of, turned out very well too, though I didn't flatten them and they were more like yummy dinner rolls! All in all, a very good recipe--at least I think, because I have never made a Challah before.
Next week...Cinnamon Buns!!
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2 comments:
Absolutely beautiful. :)
Susie
Thanks! No one was more surprised than me ;-)
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