Dazed and confused? Not me. I’m just Lost in the Cheese Aisle.

Friday, August 16, 2013

NOTHIN’ SAYS LOVIN’...

...like somethin’ from the oven.

At least, so went the Pillsbury jingle from some time back.  But when I want to say lovin’, I’m not poppin’ any Pills into the oven.  It’s gonna be one of these bad boys:

Challah 081613 (Shaped Loaf)
The loaf has been braided and left to rise for about an hour.

Challah 081613 (Egg Wash)
A thin coating of egg wash is brushed on and a sprinkling of poppy seeds applied.

Challah 081613 (Done)
Thirty minutes in a 350°F oven and it’s Challah o’ Clock.

I try not to eat a lot of bready stuff these days, but my weekly challah loaf is one of my weaknesses.  A finer way to start the weekend - Shabbat dinner with family, good friends, and a fine Butter Conveyance Device - has yet to be invented.

Update: This loaf got especially good reviews, and the only thing I could think of that might differentiate it was my using date honey instead of the usual buckwheat or tupelo honey.  Date honey (silan in Hebrew) is not bee honey; it is, rather, a syrup produced from the sweet fruit of the date palm.  We have a bottle that we purchased at Masada last year, and it’s hard to imagine a more appropriate ingredient for a loaf of challah!

2 comments:

Rahel Jaskow said...

Need silan? It's easy to get here. The trick is shipping it. Bubble wrap and newspaper ought to do it, I'm thinkin'....

Elisson said...

Actually, silan is easy enough to get here. There are plenty of Middle Eastern grocery stores that carry it. But I like the fact that my bottle came from Masada.