oven. Cook until the tops of the loaves are golden and tapping on the top of the loaf produces a hollow sound. If the top of the challah seems well done, but the insides not ready, turn the oven off, and let the door hang ajar while the dough finishes cooking at a lower intensity heat. • Transfer the dough to drying racks and cool. Though this is traditionally served on Shabbat, this is a delicious bread any day of the week!
How to Braid Challah Starting from the end: This is arguably the easiest way to braid a challah, which is very similar to braiding hair or fabrics. It sometimes produces an uneven challah, meaning that it is plump at the end that was the beginning of the braid, and thin at the end of the braid. You can prevent this by simply being aware of this phenomenon, and stretching out the dough thinner at the beginning of the braid, then plumping in the center, then thinning back out at the other end. Starting from the center: starting from the center gives the challah the best by-the-book look. It is plump and round in the center, and slowly tapers on either end. The complicated part: you’ll have to flip the challah upside down and braid in a backwards pattern when you do the second side, in order to assure complete verisimilitude of braid between the sides. It’s more complicated, so only try this for a little adventure. Try it out first on someone you don’t have to impress!
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