After pizza week we're shifting gears. This week we're baking challah, the braided bread that's been on celebration tables for thousands of years. It's the bread of Shabbat. The bread of welcome. The bread of homecoming. I've got a personal reason for putting this one on the schedule, and I'll tell you the whole story this week. For now, here's the lay of the week. 🥖 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲: Three-strand braid: The most approachable shape, and the one most home bakers start with. If this is your first challah, this is your braid. Six-strand braid: The classic Shabbat shape, more involved but absolutely doable. We'll walk through it Friday step by step. Round: The shape used for Rosh Hashanah and celebration. Symbolizes the cycle of the year and the unbroken thread of family. Beautiful at any table. 🌱 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Top with sesame, poppy, or everything seeds. Add raisins to the dough if that's your tradition. The only line we hold is no butter or dairy in the dough itself. Challah is meant to be shared at any table, and that's the rule that protects it. 📚 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸: The dough, what makes it different from any other enriched bread. The Herr Sherman story, and why this bread shaped how I teach. Braid breakdowns, three-strand and six-strand, with the round as an alternative. Egg wash, seeds, and getting that deep mahogany shine. The tradition behind the bread, taught with respect, not religion. 🥖 Recipe: https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/special-round-challah This is one dough, one teaching, and a room full of different shapes coming out of different ovens on Saturday. Pull out your eggs, your flour, your honey, and bake with us. Perfection is not required. Progress is. Henry ⭐🔥 Special Round Challah — Yeasted https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/special-round-challah Special Round Challah — Sourdough https://pantry.bakinggreatbread.com/recipes/special-round-challah?variant=sourdough

Pulled some old shots together. Different years, different ovens, different braids, but the same dough every time. This is the bread we're baking this week. If you've been thinking about it, this is your sign. Henry ⭐🔥

I’m still buzzing from it. The photos, the saves, the way you all showed up for each other in the threads. That’s the whole point of this place right there. The full recap is in the oven right now. I gave myself a 3 o’clock deadline, so keep an eye out this afternoon. You’ll want to see who showed up swinging. While I’ve got you, I’m building out this month’s bake-along agenda and I want your voice in it. Here’s the question: What bread do you want to learn? Not the loaf you already pull off in your sleep. I mean the one that’s been staring you down. The bake you keep scrolling past because it looks like more than you’re ready for. That’s the one I want to hear about. This calendar is built to stretch you, not keep you comfortable. I’ll announce this week’s bread tomorrow. But the rest of the month is still wet clay, so tell me what you want to see on it. Drop it in the comments. Be specific. If three of you name the same loaf, it’s going on the calendar. ~ Henry ⭐🔥