This challah bread tears like chicken

[BAPyessir6]

My sister's mother in law has been making challah bread for at least 20 years. She's really good at it (I think) and her bread has a texture I've not seen before on any bread I've made or had anywhere. It almost, tears into chunks when you pull it, like how chicken shreds. How exactly would I replicate this? (I've made many enriched breads before, brioche, challah etc., and it's so interesting to see this bread). The bread is super soft and light too, so it's not hard or anything.

I asked her for the recipe, and she'll send it to me later on today, but I'm curious. If I've never made a bread texture like this. . . Is this a texture I want to work toward? Like is this the texture of "proper" bread or challah?

I'm wondering if the tear is proper gluten development or better rising of bread than what I currently do.

I wish I had pictures of the bread! (I'll share the recipe later today when I get it).

 

[dragnlaw]

I've noticed certain bread 'tear' as if layered like a pastry. It could be in the kneading? or the butter content? Don't know, never thought about it before.

 

[BAPyessir6]

Maybe it is in the enriched/butter/egg content, because if I think about it, my 10 pound of butter cinnamon rolls (just kidding ) have a somewhat similar texture.

 

[taxlady]

I wonder if it has to do with the way the butter is mixed into the dough. I can't say that I remember ever noticing a texture like that. But, that may just mean that I didn't notice.

 

[HeyItsSara]

we used to get challah like that from a grocery store when i was a kid. we would "tunnel" it. i found out years later that it was dairy - so maybe milk and butter has something to do with the texture.