Dear readers, I have just found my favorite bread recipe for now - Rose Levy Beranbaum's Traditional Challah from the bread bible! You won't believe how delicious and rich the bread it! So light, fluffy, and the loaves are just a gorgeous brown with a crisp crust. Here's her website, and here's the recipe.
You start with the sponge, and cover it with flour and let it sit overnight in the fridge. Look how the flour gets cracks from the active starter, that eventually bubbles through!
I kneaded the double-batch by hand. Look how the before-after contrasts! It was fun, but the dough was sticky!
Really, big, batch of dough. 
I let it rise overnight in the fridge - that's why the flavour was amazing. 
I followed the Bread Bible's instructions for four-braided challah. It took me awhile to get the technique. That was fun!
The small, braided loaves.
Brushed with egg glaze, risen, and now baking!
Look at that splendid crust!
I need more practice with the braiding. These, by the way, are dairy free (parve) and are a special for shabbat. Traditionally, two are made, because Moses (or Moshe) commanded the Israelites to collect double manna for Shabbat. One (symbolically) is for friday, and one for saturday.
This is a nontraditional, sweet, buttery bread with chocolate-smear, like a kugelholf.
Look at that FLUFFY interior, and its just as fluffy with wholewheat!
I so happened to have a little ball of dough leftover after braiding the largest loaf. It became the "Cohen's Portion" (Wiki on Challah Mitzvot). How fun!
This is the giant challah. I love the braided appearance, but mummy complains its hard to store in the freezer because of its irregular size, so next time it goes into a bread pan, but I still want to braid it :)
This was a gift.
No, I have yet to make a Challah cover. We don't really keep Shabbat laws. I hope that we can have a lovely Shabbat dinner one of these days, with roast chicken and potatoes, honey, wine, parve cake, grilled vegetables, etc.
