Thank you for joining us! You can find recipes below!
The tightly braided Challah you received is a symbol of our unity. Just as the strands inseparably come together to form one loaf, so too are we bound together, regardless of differences, or distance. The act of making, sharing, and eating challah together reminds us that we are one people, connected by our shared tradition, responsibility, and love for one another.
When you make ha’motzei, especially this Shabbos night, this about strengthening these bonds, and nourishing our collective soul while enjoying something tasty! Shabbat Shalom!
See the PDF above for instructions
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 8 – 9 cups all purpose flour
See the PDF above for instructions
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups warm water
- 9 tsp active dry yeast
- 3 eggs
- 7 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 cup oil
Water Challah (no eggs):
- Dissolve 4 Tbsp. yeast in 4 and 1/4 cups warm water, mix until dissolved, cover while you do the next step.
- In large bowl add 5 lb. bag high gluten flour, 1 and 1/4 cup honey, 1 cup oil, and 1 tbsp kosher salt. Mix slightly.
- Add in the water yeast mixture, knead for 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer to a very large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Let rise for at least 1.5 hours.
Make blessing and separate Challah (see below)*
- Remove, braid, let sit for 1.5 hours.
- Bake in greased pans at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
- Cool on racks and enjoy!
Pre-made Dough:
Can’t make dough right now, no problem! This frozen premade dough works pretty well for makes challah rolls.
Separating Challah:
*At this point (only if 5 lbs of flour were used) the following blessing is recited and a small piece of dough is removed and then burned. See explanation below.
Baruch ata Adonoy, Eloheinu melech ha-olam, asher kidishanu bimitzvo’sav, vitzivanu lihafrish challah min ha-issa.
Blessed are You God, King of the Universe, Who made us holy with His commandments, and commanded us to separate challah from the dough.
In times of the Holy Temple, this piece would be consecrated for use by the kohanim (priests) and their families. Today, although the Temple no longer exists tangibly, it is still the focus of our spiritual vision of our identity as a people. To commemorate it, we take the piece of dough and either discard it (after wrapping it so that it doesn’t come in direct contact with the rest of the trash) or burn it. If you burn it, it should be wrapped in aluminum foil, and nothing else should be baking in the oven at the same time. The moment after “challah” (what the piece is called) is removed is a time of profound spiritual closeness to God. It is a conduit between this reality and a level of being far beyond the walls of our kitchens. Many women will take advantage of this moment to pray for their families, for our people, and for the restoration of the Temple, or for anyone who is in need of special merit.