Bread problem?!
Bread problem?
I'm a horrible cook/baker, but I thought if I followed a recipe exactly I'd be o.k, so I made some challah bread. It tasted fine the first day, but on the next day it was significantly drier and crumbled easily. Anyone know what could've went wrong?
Answers:
Kathryn,
Don't worry, it sounds like you did this exactly right. Home-baked challah is notorious for being good for one day only and then drying out quickly (the reason is that it typically has a lot less water in it than regular bread recipes--about 40% to the amount of flour vs. around 60% for other breads).
If you want a longer lasting bread, you probably shouldn't make a challah. I have seen some people get a few extra days out of it by adding some more fat (butter or oil) and/or an acid, such as sourdough starter or vinegar.
There are no preservatives in home baked bread like that you buy at a store, so that will happen. You did nothing wrong.
maybe it wasnt moist enough and you should have but it in a plastic bag so the air doesnt get to it
If you left it out on the counter, alot of the moisture was pulled out the bread which would account for it crumbling.
Well you know the saying " At first you don't succeed, try, try , again."
If it was fine the first day, the problem might be that you didn't store it properly. Maybe it needed to be refrigerated or left out of the refrigerator. If I saw the recipe, I could tell more easily. Following the recipe in baking is the most important thing to do. Leveling off every tsp. TB, cup or whatever measurement you have, very important. Good luck, even if you have not been baking very much, try and try again, especially if you like to bake. MJS