My Challah Bread Recipe Experiment
Woke up this morning staring at that giant braided challah loaf I bought yesterday – dude looked like it could feed a football team. Needed to use it before it turned into a rock. Scrolled through some “time saving” ideas online and thought eh, let’s try this mess.
First up: French toast casserole thing? Grabbed my knife and hacked half that challah into thick chunks. Didn’t even bother neat slices – just whacked it rough. Threw pieces into my baking dish like dumping Lego bricks. Mixed eggs, milk, sugar in a bowl real quick – didn’t measured it right, just eyeballed everything. Poured that yellow soup over the bread chunks. Shoved the whole disaster into the fridge thinking “This better work after coffee.”
Three hours later (totally forgot about it), pulled out the dish. Bread soaked up everything like a sponge. Sprinkled cinnamon sugar on top cause why not. Slammed it into oven at 375°F. Smelled amazing after 20 minutes… but top looked pale. Cranked heat to 400°F for extra five minutes – almost burned this place down. Pulled it out bubbling like lava. Let it sit five minutes while I cleaned egg splatter off counter.
Verdict? Spooned into bowls – top crispy, inside custardy sweet. Kids destroyed it. Zero leftovers. Total active time? Like 15 minutes tops if you don’t count fridge time.
Quick Lunch Trick Later
Still had challah left. Lunch panic hit. Did this:
- Saw sad tomato and mozzarella ball in fridge
- Tore challah into fist-sized pieces
- Drizzled olive oil over chunks in bowl
- Threw in salt and Italian herb mix from discount jar
- Mixed with hands like kneading playdough
- Chucked tomatoes and cheese in same bowl
- Dumped everything onto baking sheet – no neat rows
- Roasted 15 minutes at 425°F while arguing with work email
Result? Golden bread chunks. Cheese blistered. Tomatoes burst. Scooped into bowls – tasted fancy but took zero effort. Dirty dishes? One bowl, one sheet pan. Mic drop.
Time Saved? You Bet
Turns out I didn’t needed:
- To perfectly cube bread
- Fancy ingredients
- Multiple pots and pans
- More than 20 minutes active work total
Used up whole challah with two lazy recipes. Fed family twice without takeout boxes piling up. Might actually do this again next week if the loaf goes on sale.
