Challah-Back Girl

Rosh Hashanah begins tonight.  The New Year, celebrated in our new home.  What could be better?  So, in a classic fit of culinary over-ambition,  I decided to try baking my own challah bread for Erev Rosh Hashanah.  Not just "put it in the bread machine and push start" challah bread, which would have been the easy thing to do.  But Rosh Hashanah challah bread, which is supposed to be baked in a spiral or circle, and thus must be shaped by hand and baked in the oven.  Rosh Hashanah challah bread, which is also supposed to have raisins in it.

Yup.  Overly ambitious.  But with King Arthur guiding my steps, I decided to give it a go.  Take a look!

Dough after the bread machine has finished with it, and after I added raisins.

Dough rolled out to 32 inches on my countertop -
the recipe said between 30 and 36 inches.
Note the raisins everywhere - they did not adhere to the dough well.

After the rope has been coiled into the pan.

The aftermath.

 

The same pan after 75 minutes rising time.

 

 Halfway done baking...almost there...

Voila: Rosh Hashanah Challah!

Was it any good?  I don't know - haven't tasted it yet!  Not stealing a bite is the hardest part.  Stay tuned...


Update: It was delicious.