Challah Bread Recipe

MAKING CHALLAH BREAD FOR THE SHABBAT

To celebrate the weekly Sabbath, the Jewish people partake of a special bread called Challah.  Below is a special family recipe

1.  1.560 kg or 3 cups of Gold Medal Better for Bread Flour.  If you are using a liquid sugar, such as Agave, increase the flour to 3 1/2 cups.

2.  2 large eggs.  Make sure you check for blood BEFORE adding the eggs to the mixture.  This is usually done in a separate glass bowl.  Any blood spots render the eggs not kosher for Jewish consumption.

3.  2 teaspoons of salt

4.  5 teaspoons of yeast

5.  13 teaspoons of sugar.  My husband is diabetic and so we substitute the cane sugar with a low-glycemic sweetener such as AGAVE NECTAR.  Agave has a 1 to 1 replacement with sugar.  (In the Hebrew language the word echad has a numerical value of 13 and means 'one', as in the Sh'ma: Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one).

6.  1 1/4 cup of HOT WATER

7.  2/3 cup Olive Oil

8.  Mix/knead ingredients together by hand, not machine.

9.  Once the mixture is kneaded to it's proper consistency (dough should not stick to your hands), cover and allow it to rise for 90 minutes.  18 is the numerical value of Chai (life) in Hebrew.  5 is the number of books in the Torah - 18x5 = 90 minutes.  Challah is symbolic of the Bread of Life called manna in the Torah.

10.  It is important to use heat to activate the yeast and so you should place the covered container on top of a stove/oven that is being used to cook or bake other dishes for the Erev Shabbat dinner.

11.  Once the dough has risen for 90 minutes, uncover it and remove an olive sized portion or larger to burn as a thanksgiving offering to the Lord.  Wrap the portion in tin foil and set aside and bake in the oven after you have baked your bread.  Before separating the olive sized portion, a blessing must be made:
Baruch attah Adonai Eloheynu, melech ha-olam, asher kidshanu, bimitz'votav, vitzivanu lihafrish challah min ha issa (Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah from the dough).

12.  Form your challah loaves by braiding three long strips together.  The long strips are about 16 inches long and about the size of a quarter in circumference.  Makes two loaves which is symbolic of the double portion of Manna that was provide to the children of Israel in the wilderness on the 6th day so they did not have to collect any on the shabbat day.

13.  Bake in a oiled pan in the oven @ 400 degrees uncovered for 18 minutes.  Make sure the rack the is centered in the oven to prevent the bottom from burning.

14.  Cover the bread and bake for another 18.

I have eaten alot of Challah in my day and this recipe is the most delicious I have ever run across.  Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom