Friday, September 11, 2009

CHALLAH ATCHA GURRRRL

There are few things more gratifying than making dough with your own two hands, feeling it, nurturing it, molding it.. then watching it become something magical, something that has brought hearts together throughout the ages and the world.

Making bread is such an intimate experience (no dirty thoughts yo). It is also a tasty one. Tonight, more specifically from 11pm-2:30am, I finally got around to using my forgotten stash of yeast. It went into some beautifully chewy, dense yet airy challah. Challah, more or less pronounced hal-lah (but start the first syllable like you're about to hock a tiny loogie), is a braided egg bread eaten on the Sabbath and other Jewish holidays.

All I gotta say is, HOLLA IF YOU LOVE CHALLAH!
I made a 3-strand braided loaf, a 6-strand braided loaf, and a couple knots. Some of the challot got brushed with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, thyme, black pepper and salt. Some got brushed with brown sugar and cinnamon.
The big kahuna (6-strand) was left unadultered. I kind of messed up the braiding, but as long as it tastes good..
"It looks like a dinosaur's tail!" -j. ku
I really didn't take my time with the photos, considering I was way too hungry to care and so were my apt mates :)
"I WANNA TAKE A PICTURE WITH IT!"

the savory challah speckled with black pepper, thyme, garlic powder, etc.Recipe here (make sure to use the appended version at bottom). Now back to studying..

Random food fact (via Wikipedia): On Rosh Hashana, the "Jewish New Year," challah may be rolled into a circular shape, symbolizing the cycle of the year.

Cheers,
T

7 comments:

  1. holla hollaa! lol
    why are we censored? haha and yess i love it that all 4 of us are home more now :)
    <3

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  2. i wasn't sure if you guys wanted your identities kept private! bahahahaha. and i love it too :)

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  3. Are you serious? Bread is so hard to make, but you make it look like such a pleasant and therapeutic experience.

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  4. yum-yum. will you let me have a piece next time you come home please? ;-D

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  5. christy- haha bread isn't always ENTIRELY pleasant, but definitely worth it in the end. i'm making more soon, i'll be sure to deliver some to you clarke ladies :)

    dad- i will make some next time i come home! i love and miss you all~

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  6. Great blog. I've never heard of savory challah, but it sounds good. One day I'll have to make it.

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  7. Hi T,
    Love your challah. You should submit it to the bread contest on my site. The winner gets a $179 Super Bread knife from New West Knifeworks. You can get more info here:

    http://www.phamfatale.com/id_516/title_Pham-Fatale-Bread-Contest/

    Let me know if you're interested. All I need is a photo of your bread (for voting) and a link to your recipe.

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