Halla At My First Challah Bread!

Homemade Challah Bread

I don't know what it is that is so satisfying about taking simple products like flour, yeast, eggs, honey and salt and transforming them into a warm, soft and sweet bread.  Is it because you can't help but feeling like something magical is happening when yeast and warm water combine to create a frothy mixture?  Maybe it's because you can feel that something deliciously big is coming together and you feel important because you're responsible for making it happen.  Or perhaps it's because kneading the warm ball of elasticy dough feels so rhythmic and therapeutically refreshing?  Better yet, maybe it's the irresistible smell of the bread warming and rising as it bakes in oven that's the real source of the happiness? Whatever it is, making bread is an incredibly satisfying experience.

Today I made my first Challah bread and I can say for certain, it won't be my last.  I love Challah bread for its glowingly golden braided exterior and for its subtle hints of sweet and rich eggy flavor.  While this Challah bread is destined to be made into some French toast for tomorrow's breakfast, plans for the creation of another loaf are already in the works.  Maybe there's a little bread pudding in my future?  

While there are many recipes for Homemade Challah bread, I liked this one from http://allrecipes.com/ the best because it required little ingredients and seemed pretty straightforward.  I thought the results were terrific and I'm looking forward to making this again.  Nothing beats fresh bread out of the oven.