4 Comments

When making choreg rolls, I twist the strand from closed end to open end. I have also placed the braided loaf into a loaf pan. Not very exciting, but I have relied heavily on my bannetons and loaf pans for most projects. I am interested to see everyone's ideas today. There are probably some great ideas to share, especially with holiday baking.

Expand full comment

I don’t do a lot of fancy shaping but I really enjoyed making the Swedish cardamom buns in a recent issue of Milk Street. I’ve been a fan of the ones from Lost Larson in Chicago and it was a lot of fun making a batch myself. The link at Milk Street isn’t accessible to non subscribers so here’s a free version that looks pretty similar. https://www.swedishfood.com/swedish-food-recipes-biscuits-cakes/509-cardamom-buns

Expand full comment

I have very little experience with fancy shapes--I have a hard enough time with the plain ones! I wouldn't mind doing an epi but haven't actually tried it.

I am curious to know whether shapes are usually purely aesthetic, or whether they serve other functions.

Expand full comment

This braided challah (https://food52.com/recipes/27993-scallion-pancake-challah) has been my go-to for Thanksgiving for years. This year I wanted to switch it up, so I decided to do a garlic-herb babka instead. The exposed layers of green and white across a twisted loaf made for a simple but show-stopping centerpiece!

Expand full comment