Challah for the masses

Last Thursday, 8-year-old Beans was assigned a parashah project to present on Friday.  (This takes the place of the Ima-shel-Shabbat role on gan Fridays.)  Her mission: to choose a theme from the week’s parashah and create a game, a presentation, or a project which explores that theme.  Beans loves to bake and enjoys making things with her hands, so choosing the theme of challah (i.e., the mitzvah of taking out a portion of the dough with a blessing) appealed.  We discussed the mitzvah as described in the Torah (Num. 15:17-21), why we do it, how it is one of three mitzvot specially designated for women, and the process of preparing the dough and taking challah.  When the dough reached the stage before shaping, she stood on a stool next to me, we took a portion of the dough, and said the blessing together.  Then we got down to the business of shaping it—her favorite part.  It is customary for whichever kid is doing the parashah project to provide some sort of kibbud (refreshment); Beans took small, individual challot to each kid and teacher.

Most people have a favorite challah recipe.  I have two that I work with, and both are successful.  The recipe I used last week for Beans’s project is based on a recipe given me by Ilana Epstein.  I increased the amount of dough by 50% and made several adjustments to the recipe to aid rising, make it moister, and give it a distinctive flavor.  Here is my recipe for several week’s worth of moist, sweet challah:

Flour (around 16 cups; I used 2 cups whole wheat flour, about a cup of bread flour, and the rest all-purpose)

4 tablespoons yeast

1½ cup demerara sugar

½ cup canola oil

3 eggs

4 cups warm water

1-2 T. salt

Start by combining about 6 cups flour with the yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  In another bowl, mix the oil and eggs together.  Add oil and eggs to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Add warm water and another 6 cups flour.  Knead on a well-floured surface, sprinkling salt gradually into the dough as you knead, and adding flour to the dough slowly to remove the stickiness.  (This takes about 10 minutes).

Place the dough in a large, oiled bowl.  Cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about an hour, until the dough has expanded by 50%.  Turn out gently onto kneading surface and knead another few minutes before returning to the oiled bowl.  Let rise for another hour.

Since this makes such a large batch of dough, one separates challah with a blessing.  Before turning the dough out to shape it, take a lump of dough about the size of a golf ball, raise it up, and say, “Zot challah.”  Then say the blessing: “Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu melech ha’olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu lehafrish challah min ha’issah.”  Set the lump of dough aside to be burned in the oven once the challah loaves have been baked and taken out.

Divide the dough and shape or braid as desired.  Place loaves on baking paper on cookie sheets, coat lightly with beaten egg, and bake in a 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 17-20 minutes, or until dough is lightly golden brown and the bottoms of the loaves sound hollow when tapped with a wooden spoon.  (The amount of yeast I used in this recipe eliminates the need for another rising; dough puffs up nicely while baking.)  While challah loaves are cooling, raise the temperature of the oven and burn the lump of dough set aside; give it until it’s blackened and no good for eating.  Double-wrap carefully before discarding.

As I mentioned, Beans and I baked these challot on Thursday night for her to take to school on Friday, and I bagged them as soon as they were cool.  They still tasted fresh and soft on Friday night when we ate them, and were still soft and delicious at lunch on Saturday.  Challah for the masses… the gift that keeps on giving.

Advertisement