Not Following the Instructions Bread Loaf

"I didn't follow the recipe" Challah

This was my first attempt to bake to a temperature. This is an enriched bread so the target temperature is 200 degrees. I really enjoyed the lack ambiguity.

I found a few recipes for Challah online. I didn't follow them.

Ingredients

4 tsp yeast

1 cup milk

1/4 cup thick simple syrup

1 tsp sugar

1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/4 cup melted butter

1 tsp salt 

4 cups bread

1 egg for an egg wash

Short Instructions

Mix everything together and turn it into bread.

Long Instructions

Step 1: Bloom the yeast in the milk with 1 teaspoon sugar.

Step 2: Pour flour, salt, 1/4 cup sugar into the bowl of your stand mixer.

Digression

If you're going to make a lot of bread, a stand mixer is a worthy investment. It makes everything so much simpler.

Step 3: Add the simple syrup into the yeast mixture. Pour the mixture into the stand mixer and turn on the mixer with the dough hook. 

Step 4: Add the eggs one at a time. Then add the melted butter.

Step 5: Let the dough hook do the hard part. Just let it run and read Rabbids with your nephew. If your dough seems a little stiff, add a little bit of oil.

Step 6: Turn your dough out onto a work surface with a little flour and need it for a bit. Punch it. Slap it. Get your nephew to wash his hands and help. The dough should not be sticky.

Step 7: Turn your dough into a ball by pulling the edges together. Turn it over and you'll have a nice smooth ball.

Step 8: Let your dough ball rise in an oiled bowl.Turn it over twice in the bowl to get the dough coated and keep the best side facing up. Then just let the yeast live.

Step 9: After it's risen, dump the dough out the counter. To get that sweeeeeeet braid, slice it into three pieces, roll into snakes and braid. Squeeze the ends together and tuck under the ends. Or do what I did and just keep braiding little snakes together till you have a loaf. The recipe can make two loaves or one over flowing loaf.

Tip

If you push into the rising dough and the indent doesn't immediately rebound then it's risen enough.

Step 10: Let loaf rise a second time in the pan of choice.

Step 11: Preheat oven 375 degrees.

About Temperatures

I don't have a digital temperature read on my stove and that always makes hitting the temperature a bit tricky. All stoves tend to vary in temperature. To counter this you can get a thermometer for your stove. Most baking happens in that 350 to 375 range, so if you get within that range, you're probably good. The tricks I think are paying attention to how the food is baking and know how it should look. Get to know how to work with your stove.

Step 12: Paint the bread with egg wash. Bake until internal temperature reaches 200 degrees. It will sound a little hollow when you tap it. If it starts to brown too much, tent it with aluminum foil.