Day 2 actually began on day 1. First, we had set aside 1/2 of our baguette dough to do a "cold rise" in the fridge over night. Second, we had to choose between making a Jewish rye bread or a country bread and prepare a sponge the day before for which ever one you chose to make. A sponge is basically a starter portion of the dough that you make and let rise and add it to the remaining ingredients. This sponge rose at room temperature for a while and did a cold rise in the fridge over night. My partner and I chose the country bread which was made from a mixture of whole wheat and rye flours.

So we began day 2 by taking out both the baguette dough and the sponge and letting them rise on the warm shelves above the oven for at least an hour while we made up our dough for the remaining breads in the class. The one I'd like to feature in today's entry was probably my favorite bread of the class, Challah.

Challah

• 1 lb. 12 oz. (28 oz.) all-purpose flour
• 10.5 oz. water, lukewarm (100°F - 115°F)
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

• Stir the yeast into the warm water and let proof until foamy, about 5 - 10 minutes.
• Whisk together the honey, eggs, oil, and yeast mixture to break up the eggs and dissolve the honey.
• Add the liquid mixture to the flour and stir until a smooth dough develops, adding the salt along the way.
• If using a machine (which you should be doing) knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and homogeneous, then mix at medium speed for at least 4 minutes using a dough hook.
• Place the dough into an oiled bowl and cover it loosely with plastic wrap.
• Let rise at room temperature for 90 minutes to 2 hours.
• Punch down the dough.
• Optional: if you have time, do a second rise after punching down into the bowl.
• Weight your dough on a scale.
• Do an initial shaping of 2 letter-folds, resting between each and then let it rest for 10 minutes.
• Divide your dough by weight into equal pieces for the type of braid you want to create.
• Shape each piece into a long, even rope of about 1 to 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Braid.
• Transfer your loaf to a baking sheet covered in parchment. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rise at room temperature until a light finger poke in the dough almost disappears.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Just before it goes into the oven, give the entire surface a light but even egg wash (mix 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water) making sure not to make pools of egg in the creases of your braid.
• Optional: you can sprinkle the top with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, kosher salt, or sugar.
• Bake until golden brown and the internal temperature is about 185°F.
• Remove from oven.
• Let cool completely before slicing.

About this recipe: we proofed the yeast to make sure that the little guys were alive and we weren't using a bad batch of yeast to make a dough that would never rise. Here's how we were taught to do it: run warm water so that it feels warm, but not hot, to the touch. Fill a liquid measuring cup to the desired amount. Sprinkle in your yeast so that it doesn't go in together in one clump. Gently stir it with a spoon or whatever's handy. Let it sit until it starts to foam. I didn't get a picture of this, but it's not hard to miss. A grayish, scummy looking foam will float to the top. Once you see this you're good to go. Give it another stir to release the yeast if it's stuck on the bottom and add to your dry ingredients.

Next, we mixed the eggs, oil, honey, and yeast water together using a whisk. We measured the all-purpose flour right into the electric mixer's bowl and poured in the wet ingredients. On to the stand it went, mixing slowly until it came together and then faster once it was a cohesive dough using a dough hook the entire time. We should have sprinkled in the salt at some point before it really came together but we forgot so we tossed it in soon after. No harm was done.

This dough was a little sticky and we were told to expect that some of it would stick to the bottom or sides of the bowl. Ours stuck only to the very bottom and not to much. This dough had a distinctive yellow-tint, thanks to the eggs, and smooth, elastic texture when it's been kneaded enough, only 4 to 6 minutes which was less then most of the doughs we did.

We oiled a bowl and let our dough ball rise, covered loosely in plastic while we finished making our country bread and rolled our our baguette dough from the other day.

Once this dough was ready, we carefully measured out 4 even pieces, by weight, for our the 4-braid we chose to do. We did 2 letter folds and allowed it to rest and then came back to do what you all remember doing with play-dough in kindergarten and rolled each into a long rod, about 2.5 feet in length. Earlier, our instructor had showed us how to do the braid and so we followed his example. The only advice I have is that you don't make a tight braid or you won't get the nice, bumpy ridges in your final product. We just sort of laid one rope over another, adjusting so that it was neat and even. My partner and I braided together and oddly, it went very smoothly with two people. Once the braid was complete, we gave our bread a finished-look, by cutting off each and tucking the edges gently under. We made a mini 3-braid loaf out of the selvage that we baked and then shared with everyone in class.

After a final rise covered loosely in plastic, as always, we gave our loaf an egg wash and baked it in the convection oven until the internal temperature reached 185°F. By the time this loaf was cool the class was over. My parter and I bravely cut our beautifully braided loaf in half, said our adieus and left each other and the class to finish up our weekend.

The result: I am so pleased with how this turned out. It looks wonderful and it tastes even better. It has that fabulous dense but airy texture. The air cells are small but evenly spaced and jam packed throughout the loaf. Biting through a slice is so pleasing to the tooth and the richness, creaminess, and slight sweetness combine to make one delicious result. My plan is to make this loaf at least once for the holidays to share it with family and friends.

As I said, we also made another round of baguettes, country bread, and we made one quick bread (a.k.a. no yeast), buttermilk biscuits. The buttermilk biscuits turned out very well and I got a great tip about putting these guys, cut into rounds, into the freezer for an hour before putting them straight into the oven to cook. This helps offset problems due to high altitude. Perhaps tomorrow I'll feature these. For now, here are pictures of our other creations: