This is the bread we’re baking together Saturday, and I just put up a new article that’ll help you get ready. It covers the four-strand round weave, why we let stubborn strands rest instead of fighting them, when the apples go in, how to keep the crown from opening in the oven, and what that round shape means for Rosh Hashanah. One thing I want you to pay particular attention to: every one of those eight loose ends gets tucked underneath. That’s what keeps the crown together when the oven spring hits. Read this one before Saturday: 👉 https://bakinggreatbread.blog/2026/09/10/how-to-braid-round-challah/ Then get your ingredients together and meet us in the Bake Along. Come bake with us. 🍞❤️

𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗵. Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown this Friday, September 11. That's why the loaf is round instead of the usual braid. The circle stands for the year coming back around, and the apples and honey are the wish for a sweet one. You don't have to keep the holiday to bake the bread. It's a beautiful table loaf either way, and day-old challah makes the best French toast you'll ever eat. 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻. 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲. 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗖𝗥𝗢𝗪𝗡, 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗. Four hours start to finish. Four strands braided, then wound into a coil with diced Granny Smith and golden raisins folded through, honey brushed on hot out of the oven. If you want bread on the table for Friday night, this is the one that makes that possible. https://recipepantry.app/recipes/round-honey-apple-challah 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗛, 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛. Two days, mostly hands off. Levain built the night before, overnight cold retard, three strands rolled in black and white sesame and coiled into a crown. Deeper flavor, longer schedule. https://recipepantry.app/recipes/sourdough-round-challah 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: the sourdough version doesn't have apple in it. It's a honey-sweetened round with sesame and it's very good as written. If you want apples in your sourdough loaf, dice 120g of firm tart apple, toss it with a teaspoon of lemon juice, and laminate it in at the first stretch and fold. Everything else stays the same. 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗗𝗘 𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗚𝗢𝗘𝗦. Fold the fruit in late. Apple goes in after the dough has already built strength, on a letter fold, not in the mix. Add it early and the moisture cuts your gluten and you end up with a slack dough that won't hold a braid. Use a firm tart apple, Granny Smith or Honeycrisp. Soft varieties cook down into applesauce pockets. Braid loose. A tight braid chokes the oven spring and splits at the seams. Sherman taught me that on enriched dough and it took me years to actually believe him. Roll a strand, let it rest, come back to it. The dough gives you the length. You don't take it.

If you’ve joined us over the last two weeks, welcome! I’m glad you’re here. Whether you’re baking your first loaf or have flour worked into every corner of your kitchen, there’s a place for you here. Introduce yourself in the comments. Tell us where you’re baking from, what you enjoy making, and something you’d like to learn. We’d love to get to know the person behind the bread. Our Saturday Bake-Along is a great way to get involved. Check the pinned weekly post, read through the recipe, and gather your ingredients ahead of time. Some recipes need preparation the day before, so give the instructions a look early. Then join the conversation, share your progress and photos, and ask questions along the way. Check the Calendar for event details. This Saturday, September 12, we’re baking Round Honey-Apple Challah—a beautiful loaf to welcome the season. Find the recipe here: https://recipepantry.app/recipes/round-honey-apple-challah The Recipe Pantry is at your disposal, with over 200 recipes to explore: https://recipepantry.app Take some time to explore the Classroom, too. You’ll find lessons and previous bake-alongs you can work through at your own pace. Here are two more resources to keep handy: 🍞 Sourdough Starter Guide https://sourdough-starter-guide.vercel.app 🎥 Baking Great Bread at Home on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl4Ep9Dqm-qV6_GNMRt1Mjg Please reach out to me or anyone else in the community if you have questions or need help with anything specific. You don’t have to figure it all out alone. Make yourselves at home. Say hello, show us what you’re baking, and let us know how we can help. A warm welcome to: @Drake Surach @Kathy Stumph @Geri Page