Pictures of Onion Challah

   Tamar of Petach Tikva, Israel, recently sent me pictures of the Easy Awesome Onion Challah she made on two different occasions.  This is what she said:

Thank you so much for this recipe Yosefa! I've made it twice now...

More Fun with Dough

"Challah for Healing" was kicked off around 9:00 am, EST, in Maryland, USA, by one of my favorite people - Leor.  She was unable to cook closer to the Sabbath, but wanted to participate.  She sent me video showing how to make a 4-strand braid and a roll with a single strand.  Thanks Leor!

Leor mentioned that her and her husband like their challah "just baked so the inside is fully cooked but doughy."  I like that too, but my husband prefers his consistent and loafy.

I was considering making pretzels tomorrow.  Any dough that uses at least 10 cups of flour is enough to make the blessing for the commandment to separate "challah", it doesn't have to be traditional egg bread.  From what I gather, I can use any good pretzel, bagel, or pizza dough recipe that will give me a nice chewy dough.  I shape the pretzels or bagels, give them a brief boil in baking soda water, then bake them.  Doesn't seem too hard.  I figure, once, I break out all that flour, what's a little boiling water?  I'm thinking I might use the opportunity to have fun with some of my new spices. 

In Israel there is really no line between pretzels and bagels.  They are all called "bagel'leh".  Everything from big soft round bready things to little crunchy things covered in sesame seeds.  Common toppings seem to be za'atar, salt, sesame, and something orange that might be like curry.  If I can make a soft pretzel, I might try to fill them with sun dried tomatoes.  If mine are coming out crunchy, I think I will stick to salt, sesame, and maybe add some honey.

The traditional pretzel shape has origins in Christianity.  I think I might try some shapes of my own.  Here are some ideas from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories:

For more information on participating in the mitzvah of challah in the merit of a complete recovery for Nechama Gittel Chaya bat Chana, click here.
For more Challah braiding techniques, see "Shaping and More."
Update: Soft Pretzels

Shaping and More

This post is part of a three part series in the merit of a complete and speedy recovery for Nechama Gittel Chaya bat Chana.  Follow these links for more information about signing up for a mass challah baking or to learn some challah basics.

Tutorial for different braiding techniques using 6, 4, or 2 strands of dough:

I don't mean to dismiss the classic 3-braid, but here are some other techniques.  This first one is a favorite of mine.  It is a 6-braid I learned to make at Chabad House on Campus in Pittsburgh.  There is additional symbolism behind it.  In the original Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the high priest had 12 loaves of bread.  On Shabbat we use two challahs, so when each challah has 6 strands, they total 12 and symbolize the loaves in the holy temple.

My friend, Leor, makes a 4-braid.  Below are her instructions.  This video was my first time trying it. (See Leor's video HERE.)

"When I make a four-braid, I work from the middle to the end and then flip the challah around and work from the middle to the other ond.  Lay out the four strands and cross the middle two (doesn't matter which is on top - for demonstration's sake, let's say left over right).  From here, every step is the same.  Take the outer two strands, and do 'over the over, under the under', so the far right strand goes over the one next to it (since that strand was on top of the criss-cross) and the far left strand goes under the one next to it (since that strand was on the bottom of the criss-cross).  So, now your two outer strands are in the middle, so you start over.  Cross them (the one on the right went 'over', so it gets the bottom of the criss-cross, so again, left over right) and then with your new outer strands do 'over the over, under the under'.  Keep going until you reach the end of the strands and then flip your challah around, reorient yourself (for this example I think that means everything goes the other way now - right over left when you criss-cross), and continue the pattern of 'over the over, under the under' until you reach the other end.  You could start from one end like most people do, but starting in the middle generally makes the challah bulge in the middle and taper off towards the ends, which is the look I prefer."

This final technique Hannah learned from fellow blogger, Ted.  It technically starts with two strands.  I like it, but I think it looks a whole lot like a 4-braid.

Beginning of 6-braid.  I made the strands way too long and narrow

and compensated by making it into two loafs.

Hannah's 2-strand challah and my two 6-strand challot.

My first ever 4-strand.  How'd I do Leor?

"Pull apart" challah with poppy seeds.

Knots and silicon brush.  I want to get one of these

brushes for oiling pans and painting marinades on fish.

Below: How to make a chocolate cinnamon roll using Challah dough.  Please try your own fillings and comments with the results.  A couple months ago I made a banana nut bread by adding in ripe banana puree during the sponge stage.  The resulting dough was sticky and hard to roll, but the honey nut filling was nice.  Next I plan to try a poppy seed filling and make a pattern on top with the seeds, using a parchment paper stencil.

Challah Basics

This post is part of a three part series in the merit of a complete and speedy recovery for Nechama Gittel Chaya bat Chana.  Follow these links for more information about signing up for our mass challah baking or to learn more about shaping challah dough.

I am no Challah expert.  I love to braid it and shape it, and do other creative things, but I have tasted MANY challot with superior taste and consistency to mine.  So I turned to my good friend and fellow blogger, Hannah (of Cooking Manager and A Mother in Israel) to give us all some tips.  If you would like more information, I recommend reading her full post on Challah and visiting her new YouTube channel.  Here is her recipe in an easy one page printable form.  I never make it to the end of all the cycles of stretching and resting mentioned in this recipe and my challah still turns out very good.

Hannah's recipe and the other methods mentioned in her post from other people give a very soft challah without a strong yeasty flavor.  One thing I learned today is that if you leave it to rise in the fridge for a long time, start with cold water.  I thought, the more rising time the better, but this technique only gave me a strong yeasty flavor.  I think you're better off putting your time into stretching the dough.  Here's how it's done:



Having what seems like a complicated Challah recipe on my blog may seem to clash with my theme of simple dishes that don't require following instructions.  The truth is, I don't bake challah as often as I would like, but I love it.  I think everyone should bake bread once in a while.  There's a wonderful feeling of satisfaction in making your own bread.  It's great to get your hands into your food.  Kneading/stretching dough is much more satisfying than tossing a salad.  Once you get the hang of making challah, you really can tweak it to your preference.  You will know what good dough feels and smells like and you won't need to rely on a recipe.  Hannah has six kids and makes challah for a several weeks and freezes it.  If I hadn't walked in on her kneading this monster dough, I would have thought her bowl was a baby tub.  Hannah:  Where do you wash that thing?  By the way, this challah freezes well, and I love enjoying it several weeks later, long after I have forgotten about the work it took.

I learned to make challah during college from one of my favorite families in the world, the Weinstein family of Chabad House on Campus in Pittsburgh, PA.   The daughters who taught me are now grown and married, as am I, but I still carry the fond memories of baking challah on Thursday nights for the swarm of students who would pile in for Shabbat.  Here's what I remember:

We bake Challah in honor of the holiness of the seventh day.  Challah has seven ingredients: flour, water, oil, salt, yeast, sugar, eggs.  We started with equal parts yeast and sugar in warm water in one bowl while combining the other ingredients except flour in a very large bowl.  Then poured in the yeast mixture and began kneading in the flour until the dough felt right.  I think we only let the dough rise one time after all the kneading, and another time after braiding and egging the dough.  Pretty simple and lots of fun (especially if you have a cleaning lady who will deal with the aftermath!)  Even though many people were counting on my challah success, I was never discouraged from a little experimentation, big challot, tiny challot, honey, raisens, vanilla, seseme or poppy seeds in fun designs...  Please comment and share your own challah stories!

You might also enjoy: Easy Awesome Onion Challah

Challah for Healing

This post is part of a three part installment focusing on Challah - traditional Jewish egg bread.  This post will focus on baking and "taking" challah as a time to ask G-d for blessings and special requests.  This series is in the merit of a complete and speedy recovery for my dear friend Nechama Gittel Chaya bat Chana (Norma Kuras).  See adjacent posts for some challah basics and shaping techniques.

There is never a bad time to ask G-d for help; however, when women take part in the three mitzvoth (commandments/good deeds) specifically given to women, it is considered a particularly auspicious time to ask for things.  The three mitvot are: lighting Sabbath candles, managing family purity, and separating challah.  In the merit of a complete recovery for my friend, I am instigating a mass challah baking.  We want to get at least 40 women to bake Challah this coming week (in your own homes) before next Shabbat (Friday night, November 5.)
There are three ways to sign up:
1.Comment on this post with some form of your real name and your commitment to bake.
2. Join our Facebook event and mark yourself “attending”, or
3. E-mail me at nonrecipe@gmail.com.  If you want a reminder next Thursday, e-mail me.  (You can also use this e-mail address to send me pictures of you and your kids baking challah or doing another mitzvah in for Nechama Gittel Chaya bat Chana's recovery.  I'd like to collect as many as possible.  I think it will bring some cheer to Nechama Gittel Chaya bat Chana and her family.)

*Please specify if you can commit to taking challah with a blessing next week, if you are just baking challah in honor of Nechama Gittel Chaya bat Chana’s recovery, or if you would like to take on another mitzvah in the merit of her recovery (such as lighting candles before sundown Friday night or giving to charity.)  I hope the public display of your commitment will encourage others.

Below is an example of how to separate challah with a blessing by Hannah of Cooking Manager and A Mother in Israel.


Here are instructions on the formal way to take challah when you are asking for the healing a sick person, from my good friend Leor:

"1) Make the dough (it needs to have at least 10 cups of flour, so if one recipe of challah dough isn't enough, just make two batches and put all the dough together before the next step)

2) Take off a handful and make the bracha:

Baruch Ata Ado-nai Eloheinu Melech Haolam Asher K'deshanu B'mitzvosav V'tzivanu lehafrish challah (min ha'isa).

3) Set the dough aside in tinfoil.

4) Immediately afterward is when you should add any extra tefillos that you have, so in this case the yehi ratzon for a sick person.  (It's the same yehi ratzon that's in the siddur at shemone esrei, in refa'ainu, that you can add for a specific sick person.)  


Here's a transliteration: Yehi Ratzon Mil'fanecha Ado-nai Elo-hai V'elo-hai Avosai Shetishlach Mehaira Refuah Shelaimah Min Hashamayim, Refuas Hanefesh Urefuas Haguf Lacholah Nechama Gittel Chaya bas Chana Besoch Shaar Cholei Yisrael.  (Substitute the Lacholeh for Lacholah if the sick person is a male.)

And in Hebrew:
יהי רצון מלפניך ד' אלקי ואלקי אבותי שתשלח מהרה רפואה שלמה מן השמים, רפואת הנפש ורפואת הגוף לחולה_______ בתוך שאר חולי ישראל.


5) Burn the dough.  (You can burn it in the oven, but you can't have this dough in the oven at the same time as your challahs.  You can burn it before or after you bake the challahs.  Or, you can burn it on the stove, with a blowtorch, etc.)"


Thanks Leor!  

FYI: The amounts of flour that require a blessing are based on weight.  According to Spice and Spirit, you need between 13-15 cups of "sifted" flour (1666.6 g or 3 lb. 11 oz.).  Additionally, the authors write that you say the blessing BEFORE separating the challah.  Hannah says, besides burning the dough, you can set it aside until it is no longer edible.  In Pittsburgh I learned to stick it in the freezer in paper towel until Passover, and then burn it with all the other chumetz.  But that community did a community challah burning, so a cold mass of challah dough was no match for the bonfire.  Some people might not like the idea of having challah dough in the house after they have otherwise cleaned for Passover.  The attached printable challah recipe is well tested and makes enough dough to make the blessing (as well as enough loafs and cake for a small family all Shabbat). 

For more on baking challah, see the next post: Challah Basics. 

Update:  Thank you everyone who participated!  We got an excellent response with people baking, learning, and saying tehillim (psalms) in the merit of Nechama Gittel Chaya bat Chana's recovery.  Please continue to keep her in your prayers. 
I baked soft pretzels, Leor in Silver Spring, MD made 4-braid challah loafs, and Jennifer in Coral Springs, FL made these beautiful loafs:

Read Hannah's post for more about Nechama Gittel Chaya bat Chana.  Refuah Shelaima!