Challah is a beautiful bread and an increasingly popular one around this neck of the woods. You may have grown up with it and associate it with candlelight and wine, friends, family and blessings on Friday nights. Or you might be wondering why we don’t bake it all the time. We’re getting lots of orders for it, because, well, obviously (it’s delicious). So let’s talk challah.
Challah is an enriched white yeasted bread served on Fridays. More specifically, it’s eaten on the Jewish sabbath (which starts on Friday at sunset and ends after dark on Saturday). Challah also plays an important role on certain Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Challah is not eaten at Passover because it’s a leavened bread (which is why we didn’t sell it at Easter this year). Challah is one of many incredible Jewish breads and pastries. (You know bagels and babka, right? There are so many more.) Challah is soft and full of flavour. It’s a bit like brioche, but made with oil, not butter, so is basically your dream white bread, especially if you don’t do dairy. It makes the most incredible french toast. And it comes with the added tactile pleasure of usually being braided, meaning it pulls apart with style and flare.
Challah also speaks of blessings and of the traditions that bring friends and families together every Shabbat. Challah functions as a physical metaphor for manna from heaven at the sabbath meal. It is baked for sharing during shabbat; candles lit, wine poured, blessings made and prayers shared. Then rip it, slice it, savour it, enjoy it, appreciate it. It’s beautiful bread.
Because challah is a ‘specialty’ bread, eaten at certain times and as part of a long spiritual tradition, we work closely with the Rabbi and The Kosher Deli on Greys Ave around when and how we bake it. Hopefully this helps get you in the mood for challah. If you want to know more, of course, there is a lot of literature out there! In the Auckland Public Libraries, for example, you might try Braided; A Journey of a Thousand Challahs by Beth Ricanati. You’ll be baking your own challah before you finish!
Basic challah ingredients: wheat flour, eggs (cracked and checked individually in kosher tradition), olive oil, water, salt, sugar, yeast; may contain traces of soy.
Sometimes, we add raisins, or coat it in sesame seeds. Depends on the time of year (or if someone’s getting married, etc.). Again, we work closely with Greys Ave Kosher Deli on this.
Note that the ‘c’ in challah is basically silent. Google “how to pronounce challah” if you are unsure!