Whole Grain Challah with Cranberries & Orange Zest (for our 2nd Bread Braid)

Bread baking time again...hooray! Do you remember me joining the fairly new baking group HBinFive? The one that helped me conquer that fear of the BBY forever? Well, it's time for our December bonus recipe...and I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out! We officially begin baking from the book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day in the new year, so you have plenty of time to grab your own copy and join us over at Big Black Dog our home base with our host Michelle. While our bonus recipe last month was given to us by Zoe Francois, one half of the team who brings us the book HBin5, this months was chosen by the other half, Jeff Hertzberg, MD. While I can't post the recipe for the Whole Grain Challah with cranberries and orange zest, I can tell you that it is posted HERE...and then show you my process of baking it...so pretty and just begging to be photographed! One thing that I love and that has been so helpful in conquering my fear of the BBY, is the simple process given for the bread in HBin5. Mixing the dry ingredients... ...and then adding the wet...that's it. Look how beautifully this dough rose over the course of a couple of hours! I ripped off an approximately 1 lb. piece and divided into three, formed them into ropes and did a simple braid for my first try. Take my picture, take my picture!! I let it rise for ~90 minutes oh yeah and then gave it an egg wash and sprinkling of sugar and orange zest. It came out of the oven all golden and crusty and beautiful...and sliced up just as nice. Why did I ever fear yeast? I no longer remember. Be sure to head on over to this months Bread Braid to see all of the other variations that were baked up by the members of HBin5!