I don't see anything wrong with the braids, but I know what you mean about some challah having more definition to the braids. This can be more from the number of strands being braided, than the actual proof time. A 6-strand braid is going to be more pronounced (knotty) than a 4-strand, as seen here...

I have found that it is best to not overwork challah dough, and as a matter of fact, I don't even degass after the first rise. I simply dump the dough on the counter and cut the number of peices I need for braiding. I then roll out the strands, braid and get it covered. I like to proof the formed loaves to 1-1/2X, then let the oven finish off the rise with oven spring.

Hope this helps.

Here's another shot I found of a 6-strand challah

Keeping the ropes dusted with flour prior to braiding purportedly helps in keeping the braids distinct.

Gil Liss challah making. See this part at about the 2:20 time point of the video. Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0WmCsdHV50&feature=related

He seems to be so good at it that it seems almost effortless.

What was your wash?

Traditionally ( as far as I know from my Jewish background ) challah should be brushed with egg white to get the deep brown crust AND the definition in the braiding. Be sure to get into all the cracks and crevices.

I follow Davids lead with a whole eggs with a pinch of salt...i will have to try just egg whites...

Your challah looks very nice.  Showing a golden color between the braids without being blown apart. 

The lines on ropes can come from stretching the ropes to much and you will loose the smooth roundness on the rope.

Braiding loosely and letting my loaves fully proof gives the best look IMHO.  If they are under proofed, the ropes can blowout and stretch apart giving a slashed look rather than braided ropes and takes away from the gently rounded, braided rope appearance.

On the Silican loaf it appears the seams might have seared together a little more taking some away from the definition.  This happens to me when my dough is usually pretty hydrated and has warmed up in the shaping..then the seams start blending together..I think it helps to flour your hands and run them along the ropes.  Adding just little flour helps keep the rope strands from blending.

I like to use a double egg white wash.  I usually mix one egg white with about a Tablespoon of water making sure to remove any little solid pieces of white.  I brush the first coat all over and let it dry a little before adding the second wash.  Adding the seeds to still wet second wash.

It has taken me time and practice but this is the look on my braiding I like best.

David's formula  used for my Sourdough Challah loaves.

Sylvia

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Hi Judd,

As others have already stated, your Challah looks good.  If you enjoy eating it just as it is, I wouldn't change a thing.

If you feel you need more definition, the solution is probably related to strengthening (or reducing the slackness of) your dough.  Challah is often made with some high-gluten flour, but if you have KA's "Bread Flour" available, it will possibly absorb more water and leave you with a firmer dough.  While the dough should be firm, it should not be crumbly -- it should be supple and come together without difficulty.

If your flour is already a higher-protein type, then slackness could be caused by either a lot of sugar or a bit too much water.  Reducing (or adding) water is easy, of course.  Ideally, the dough should be moist enough that it doesn't skin over easily as you work with it, but it also should require no flour at all on the bench.  If the dough sticks to the bench, there's a good chance that you can safely subtract a percentage point or two from your dough's hydration.

You can minimize the slackening effects of sugar (only if you need to) by adding the sugar in two or three stages during the mix cycle.  Add maybe half of it at first, mix 3 or 4 minutes on low speed, and then add the rest in either one or two more increments.  That allows your gluten network to establish strong bonds before the sugar crystals start drawing water away from the dough.

Solutions to the questions you've posed often require several tries and copious note taking.  I hope this helped a bit.

--Dan DiMuzio

for your words of experience...the braiding of the round loaf is my next try...

Judd

Judd,

I have been trying various recipes and yesterday I tried PR's Bread Bakers Apprentice and finally have baked a challah that looks like one from my childhood. Maybe what I did differently was simply to really wait until the boule doubled in size rather than rushing in and trying to divide the dough into three. This seemed to produce tubes that held the rolling out into coils. Although PR's recipe says that dough will double in size in one hour after the boule stage, I had to wait three hours and it was well worth it. I cannot figure out how to upload my photo.

Dorothy, shuttervector