Challah Bread

After the fun of plaiting a loaf last week I thought I'd have a go at baking Challah - a traditional Jewish type of bread which is somewhere between a normal white loaf and a brioche - the dough is enriched with eggs and a little milk and sugar, which makes it deliciously rich without losing the light airiness that we associate with yeasted breads. I followed Paul Hollywood's recipe for this, using a three strand plait shape - a total breeze after the eight strand fun last week! The shaped dough is egg-washed, left to prove and then baked for about 25 minutes. It does take on colour quickly so it's worth watching it - I put a sheet of foil over mine after the first 15 minutes to stop it browning any further. Here it is in all its glory:

It's great toasted and buttered, and I reckon any stale leftovers would be great in a bread and butter pudding (not that there's much chance of stale leftovers in this house!).