A Carb Bender: Braided Challah

I never met a carb I didn't like.

The carb bender continues. This time with some braided Challah. (Yumm.) I actually made this loaf a couple weeks ago, and I am drooling just remembering it. For those of you that aren't familiar with Challah, it is a Jewish sweet bread that is eaten on both the Sabbath and holidays. While I am not Jewish, I have to thank a certain high school friend for teaching me everything I know about Judaism - but mainly for fostering my love for matzo ball soup and good Challah.

Challah is a very simple bread - water, flour, eggs, sugar, and yeast. While I can't boast its healthfulness, I can tell you it has the addictive properties of Wonder Bread, but worse because it is sweet to the taste. Oh, and buttery. Sweet and buttery.

I followed this very traditional recipe I found after a quick search on Challah recipes. Another thing to note is her mention of the "jiffy method". I have used this method on a couple other types of loaves since. I simply microwave a clean, damp tea towel for 30 seconds and then place it over the rising bread in the still warm microwave. It works wonders.

Happy kneading!