It’s a wintry wonderland out my windows as I write this morning. The snow is sparkling under the early morning light and the only clouds in the sky are the wispy contrails left behind by planes, perhaps on their way somewhere tropical. Some days I long for the sun to feel warm again, and yet the wood fire in the hearth reminds me that even the coldest days have the joy of a different kind of heat, one that comes from logs split by my husband, stacked by my boys, and carried in with my girls.
When I make bread it engages different parts of my brain. For breads I make often, like my house sourdough, my hands go into autopilot when I’m carrying out various steps. But there is still a technical side of planning, calculating, milling, and measuring that goes on well before any mixing. The creative side comes in as I’m considering a menu for the month, the flavors I’d like to use, and the forms. Sometimes I like to think about the seasons, and sometimes I plan to make things that are just plain fun to make!
Sourdough challah certainly fits into that last category. Challah is a slightly sweet bread that is fluffy, flavorful, and an absolute delight. We’ve enjoyed it many ways, but if any happens to be left over it makes killer french toast! I love the creativity it affords with shaping – loaves can be braided with a simple three strand, or a complex eight strand, or anything in between! I’ll likely make four strands for all of you, but we’ll see what I’m feeling up to on the day 🙂 Challah has a rich history; if you’re interested here is a great article going in-depth on this bread! If you’d like to see some stunning challah loaves, check out this guy on Instagram. If you’d just like to eat it, I’m making a sourdough version for pickup on Thursday, February 20th!