plaiting your challah

In the three images that accompany this text you will find different directions for making your plaits. Confusing maybe, but certainly deliberate.
Working topside down or downside up is a personal preference; the same goes for numbering LTR or RTL.
My personal preference is downside up/RTL; with dough, that is.... when I practiced with rope and taught kids on how to do it, there was no time for developing a preference myself. The same might go for you, just try and find your's.
If you follow these steps, the result will be alike however you reach it.
Keep in mind: after each step the resulting position is numbered, not the strand itself.
Now just remember to press either end tightly together...

Starting with the most simple:
3 strands Bring alternate outer strands between the remaining 2 and repeat until the ends of the strands are reached.
now that is a nice start if you never plaited bread or if you have to make a near industrial production of hundreds of challot in just few hours. Try something more challenging...

4 strands Use the 300ml water dough option.
    strand 2 over strand 3
    strand 4 over strand 2
    strand 1 over strand 3
repeat until you reach the other end.
still fairly simple, but the result looks far better

5 strands probably the best with the 300ml option as well.

     strand 2 over strand 3
     strand 5 over strand 2
     strand 1 over strand 3
   repeat until you reach the other end.    
that looks nice, all those tiny bulbs
    

6 strands Use the 350ml water dough if you want to have slices, for just breaking the 300ml option gives a nicer result.
    once: strand 6 over strand 1
then repeat until you reach the finish:
        strand 2 over strand 6
        strand 1 over strand 3
        strand 5 over strand 1
        strand 6 over strand 4
You may help the strands a bit by softly stretching to reach the end together.

now for the really difficult one, make sure your strands are no millimeter shorter than 30cm:

8 strands

once: strand 8 under strand 7 and over strand 1
then repeat until you run out of strands:

        strand 2 under strand 3 and over strand 8
        strand 1 over strand 4
        strand 7 under strand 6 and over strand 1
        strand 8 over strand 5

for those still in need of a challenge: the herringbone

7 strands Arrange the strands side by side, do not yet press any end together!

• Divide the bottom half with 4 strands on one side and 3 strands on the other;
• Bring the outside strands alternately tot the center, starting from the side with 4 strands;
• Join the ends (from that bottom side) and turn the top half towards you, then divide this other half with 4 strands on one side and 3 strands on the other;
• Bring the outside strands alternately to the center, starting from the side with 4 strands;
• After all the strands of dough have been plaited their full length, pinch all the free ends together, sealing them firmly;
• Turn the completed plait over on its side, then roll it gently to improve its shape.

[all schemes and restructured text on this last one from Evelyn Rose, The New Complete International Jewish Cookbook. ]
Alas I can't confirm, that trying the fishbone will lead to an acceptable result, but then I did my one time effort rather long ago. There's your challenge :)

#bread #breadbaking #homebaking #challah #plaits #craft