I’m ringing in the New Year with my brother in the city and then spending the night at his apartment. I really have no idea what we’re gonna do. Hopefully, I actually end up back at his apartment.
Ha…kidding. Or am I?
I hope you’re enjoying the countdown to 2011, whether you’re out partying or on the couch in your jammies. For those of you doing the latter, I’ll leave you with some baking entertainment…
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I baked bread yesterday for the very first time. I mean, yeasty bread not quick bread. It was my first time baking with yeast. I’ll admit, I was slightly intimidated. Bubbles? Foam? Who-what? I didn’t know what to expect but I wasn’t about to let a spoonful of powdery pellets scare me away!
The 6 hour process was a reminder of just how impatient I can be. Waiting for the dough to rise was by far the hardest part for me.
As you can see, I didn’t just make any ol’ bread. I made Challah.
Can I get a hollaaa?
First time baking bread and I make challah?! I couldn’t have just tried dinner rolls or something simple…
I know, first matzo balls, now challah bread. What’s going on?
I didn’t do enough research before starting and later found that the recipe I used left out a few details about the process that would have been helpful. Oh, I also didn’t see that the recipe called for bread flour (which we didn’t have) until the eggs were already cracked.
Anyways, I don’t think I added the ingredients in the right order and I don’t think I kneaded it enough. You live/bake and you learn.
Waiting for dough to rise is pure torture. It was like waiting to see a shooting star…waiting for UFOs to appear…waiting for your hair to grow out.
My dough refused to rise for the first 2 hours. You can imagine my face when I uncovered the bowl to find the same exact size mound of dough. I finally stuck it in the oven at 100*F and it expanded…a little.
I forged on, determined to finish what I started.
I think the only reason I wanted to make challah was because of the beautiful braid. All bread should be braided.
The bread cracked at the seams, which I don’t think was supposed to happen. It tasted great warm outta the oven but after it cooled down, it became a little crumbly (probably because I used all-purpose flour and not bread flour).
I don’t recall ever eating challah before last night so I really have nothing to compare it to.
Overall it wasn’t bad for a first loaf. You gotta start somewhere, right? I’ll have to try making it again but start earlier so I can take photos in the daylight! I should probably buy some bread flour too.
I sense the start of a new obsession. Maybe 2011 will be the year I learn to bake bread.
Tell me: Have you ever baked yeasty bread? How did it turn out?
***
Still got some time before the ball drop?
Check out my 2010 in Review Part 1 and 2010 in Review Part 2 posts.
Or travel even farther back in time to my Farewell 2009 Post. A flashback to my pre-blogging days!
{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
The idea of making bread scares me, but that looks delicious! I envy your skills
it looks good anyway!! . . . i heard challah makes excellent french toast – just a thought for the leftovers??
happy new year!!
Ooo that bread looks delicious, a wonderful first loaf.
Happy New Year’s Eve!
I am supremely impressed!! I managed a gourmet deli for a while, and we made all kinds of breads… (I would come in early and make croissants + bagels!)
I watched the challah process at the main bakery once, but never made it myself. Yours looks beautiful!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, have a great time tonight!!
My favorite yeasty bread is a honey wheat bread off of the Food network website. It’s so good and hearty, but it takes so long to rise. Totally worth it though! Your challah looks amazing.
I think that is a gorgeous loaf of bread. Congrats!
Hope you have a wonderful New Year’s!
I used to be intinmidated by yeast, but not anymore! I love bread baking!
looks beautiful girl!!! good job
I just made some bread today! I haven’t actually made dough with yeast other than in the bread machine for years (and my last 3 loaves of bread machine bread have failed, so I’m done with that). I found a no-knead recipe on allrecipes last night for knot rolls, so made the dough and stuck it in the fridge last night. This morning I made half the dough into knots for a party I’m going to tonight, the other half will be for tomorrow. They weren’t rising so I stuck them on top of my stove with the oven turned onto 200/warm. Still nothing so I turned the oven off and stuck them in there for a couple hours while I ran some errands. They rose nicely! About to bake them up, hope they’re delicious.
I’m currently in the process of finding the perfect sandwich bread recipe. My first yeast bread was a no-knead artisan type bread that was good. Since then, it’s the sandwich style. Some have been okay, some…not so much. Like last weekend I made a batch that was really sticky after the second rise, so I whipped up a new batch (same ingredients/recipe) that turned out COMPLETELY different. Trying to find a method to the madness.
I LOVE challah! Do you know how it’s different than brioche? They are both eggs and butter right?
Hollaaa!! I love challah bread. Make french toast with it. Challah is without a doubt the best bread for french toast, IMO. And I agree, all bread should come in pretty braids
I have to say, I never understood the fear of yeast bread making. I guess I started doing it long before I read about how intimidating it is!
Or maybe I have a predisposition to microorganisms….I did study biochemical engineering and do work at a winery (where we use–yeast–clearly!) I joked with my boss the other day that I probably should have studied microbiology. Mushrooms, kefir, kombucha, beer, wine, bread….all things I love!
Challah is the best bread for French toast/bread puddings…..if you ever have any leftover (unlikely!)
Wow! You rock at making challah! It looks so pretty! Happy New Year!
Wow Allie, that bread looks amazing!! I’ve only made yeast bread once and like you said, it wasn’t bad for the 1st experience. Guess it’s something that needs a bit of practice.
Have a happy and safe New Year!
That bread looks fabulous
! I remember the first time I attempted bread I actually let it rise a little too long (I was watching a movie 
) and it ended up all flat. Since then I’ve made quite a few loaves/rolls and I just love how the bread makes the whole house smell so good! My mom also loves to add sesame seeds and other random nibblets to the bread which gives it a really nice texture/flavor. I found this website (http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/11/04/homemade-bread-cheap-delicious-healthy-and-easier-than-you-think/) which helped me a LOT! I don’t have a bread machine or a mixer, but kneading the dough is really a great stress-reliever! 
When I was unemployed, I found a guy in town who was determined to bake all kinds of bread using a sour dough starter who was willing to teach ppl how to bake bread if we wanted to learn. Even bagels and challah, so I’ve made those before.
Quite the learning experience. Too much math for me though.
first time i made yeast bread it failed miserably. i didn’t try again for 3 years. then i made pumpkin cinnamon rolls and it worked. that was almost two years ago. i’m still afraid. hahaha
Happy New Year!
I dont think you’re jewish? but between the challah and the matzo balls, you could come over here and impress my husband who is jewish…and i have never made either! you rock girl!
happy 2011!!!
Nice job! The challah looks so pretty, I mean yummy!
You gotta make these next: http://steamykitchen.com/250-challah.html
Happy New Year!
yup i am definitely enjoying the latter of those two celebrating scenarios…..im curled up by the fire enjoying a movie marathon…..and to tell ya the truth, I wouldnt have it any other way!
i am so enjoying the time off from school i have right now and just want to use the time to relax. good thing its the holidays!
I have yeast in my pantry that stares at me every day waiting for me to get the guts to use it! Challah would be SUCH a fun way to start! Does whole what Challah exist? Maybe I’ll invent that.
I LOVE CHALLAH! one time me and my friend ate an entire loaf spread with pb.. hehe
I’ve wanted to try Challah! Now I reallly want to!
Nice work! It looks perfect! Welcome to the world of bread making – I’m telling you, I feel like knowing that you’re eating your own pita bread, flatbread dough, etc are one of the best things ever
Happy New Year!
I have a fear of making bread with yeast too! One of my goals for the New Year is to give it a shot though. I’d say your bread turned out to be pretty amazing! It looks so professional!
Beautiful!!!
i totally agree….all bread should be braided!!!! soooo pretty! that challah sounds so good. I made my first yeasty bread a few weeks ago and i was so excited that i was actually able to do it ad make something that actually tasted pretty good!
Happy new year by the way!!!!
This looks fantastic! I’ve never had challah but I am visioning myself eating a healthy slice of that now with some butter on it!
Happy New Year!
I tagged you on my blog today
http://thescenefromme.com/2011/01/01/ive-been-tagged/
After reading your tweets all day I couldn’t wait to see how this turned out-looks amazing!!!!
Happy New Years!
Holla!
Looks pretty good! I made the same mistake at Christmas. My mom asked me to make bread and I whipped some up last minute. We didn’t have any bread flour in the house so I used all purpose and it didn’t really rise too much.
Blah.
What I keep wondering is, surely people haven’t had different types of flour for centuries? I mean, I can’t imagine Pioneers or Shakespearian people or Jesus baking bread with a special type of flour, can you? So what gives? How’d they do it?
This bread looks amazing! Happy New Year!
Happy 2011!! I hope it’s an amazing year for you
Jen
I’ve wanted to bake bread for a long time, but I too can be extremely inpatient and just haven’t taken the plunge yet! I’ve made some whole wheat dinner rolls for Thanksgiving…they were just ok
Your bread looks beautiful! I agree all bread should be braided too! Oh, and love the “hollaaa” Lol!
We have a bread machine that does all the kneading and rising for me! Haha, it’s so easy! You just throw everything in, liquids first, and then push start! Sometimes I take out the dough before it’s baked to make cinnamon rolls or dinner rolls. I’ve tried baking bread not using the machine and it always turns out horrible!
the challah looks good, actually most challa baked in a home oven will spread at the seams, at least from my experience. it is totally fine to use all purpose flour. the order in which you mix the dough is important.
fyi,re: your post on matzah balls , they need to be made with matzah meal that us what makes them what they are, otherwise they would just be dumplings . kosher is a different issue
I enjoy reading your blog – thanks
i
loving your forays into Jewish cuisine, but I highly suggest you buy Challah from a good bakery so you know how good it can really be..then make french toast out of it!
That bread looks awesome. Great job!
I don’t know how I missed this post! I’ve always dreamed of the day I’d be brave enough to make my own loaf of challah. I love it SO much, and I live in neighborhood loaded with Jewish people, so there is never a short supply in the grocery stores. Congrats on the effort!
that challah looks beautiful! great job on your first try
the first time i used yeast it didn’t rise and made the dough taste bitter. yes, live & learn is very true 
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