The best holiday dinners go down a little like this: the host or hostess drops off a juicy, slow-cooked brisket, a platter of latkes, and a golden homemade challah atop a linen-topped dining room table. Eyes light up. Is it the candles or all the champagne? We just don't know. Everyone sighs and murmurs a few indistinct "oh la la's".
For hosts, these moments are instant gratification after a long day of cooking. For guests, it's the perfect holiday meal.
Indeed, few things are appreciated more than a homemade loaf of bread. Maybe because it takes a day to do the kneading and fermenting. Or perhaps it's because it's so much easier to stop by the grocery store and pick up a shiny, flawlessly-braided challah.
But here's what I have to say about those store-bought challahs: screw 'em.
