nash equilibria

challah is the jewish celebration bread made with lots of eggs and yolks. with white flour, the dough is a bright yellow.

i was using the CIA recipe, which always turned out to be too wet, but this tie i added flour cautiously and decided to stop at a sticky point, hoping that some oil and subsequent folding would correct it.

turns out, it was barely manageable; at some points the dough's sticky insides came out and i had to flour the table often to prevent sticking. but i had fun braiding. i made 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-stranded braids.

the braids puffed and merged together slightly, but they were still pretty. golden and fragrant.

i also made one circular braid. i think traditionally that represents continuity. but in the end the circle is still broken and eaten.

in the middle of ICT, i made some cake.

i made an almond sponge cake batter and spooned it into mini paper cups for little cupcakes. and then i found out that a sponge cake batter is possibly viable for up to 40 minutes after you finish preparing it, that is, while the batter immediately begins to deflate, there is still enough time to work slowly.

i also ladled some batter into bigger tins, and the cakes rose like souffles. so cute!

and then i finally used up the egg whites in the freezer making italian buttercream.

and icing the mini cupcakes, and assembling a cute little tall cake with the buttercream.

but sometimes, when your heart isn't there, nothing turns out right.