A Sunday of baking challah

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

There have been two books on my Jewish Independent "books-to-review" shelf for more than a year. Usually that would mean that they'd soon be passed on to the library, family or friends, without review, as we want to be relatively timely and newsy here at the paper. But these publications are about a timeless topic: the making of challah. So last month, with the help of my friend and fellow writer, Pat Johnson, bread was baked ... and baked and baked, some 10 loaves in all. It was a great way to spend a Sunday.

The reason I enlisted help was not only for the cheerful company, but because I had never attempted to make bread before and I was intimidated by the prospect. I needn't have been. A lot of hard work (i.e. kneading) is required but the process itself is quite easy. And the results are a delight for almost all the senses: smell, sight, touch and taste.

We didn't make kosher challah, but both The Secrets of Challah by Shira Wiener and Ayelet Yifrach (Reshit Publications, 2007) and A Taste of Challah: A Comprehensive Guide to Challah and Bread Baking by Tamar Ansh (Feldheim Publishers, 2007) include the necessary blessings and measurements for hafrashat challah, the mitzvah of separating the challah.

According to Wiener and Yifrach, "The mitzvah requires a person to set aside a portion of the dough that is to be baked into bread. This portion of dough is given to the kohanim (priests who served in the Temple), allowing them to live honorably and to fulfil their holy tasks in comfort. Since bread is man's primary source of sustenance, separating challah is a commandment that is applicable at all times, and it brings blessing into our daily lives." While this sounds simple enough, there are literally pages in each cookbook regarding the fulfilment of this commandment and reading them gave me a renewed appreciation for my Orthodox friends.

On our baking day, we used the Ansh recipe for no-egg challah. We had thought that challah, often referred to as egg bread, required many eggs in its preparation but, apparently, we were wrong, as the basic recipe in both cookbooks was egg free. I have high cholesterol, so I wasn't too disappointed by that fact, only a little concerned that the taste would suffer – it didn't.

In addition to challah, both publications have a number of other recipes, for such things as onion rolls, fruit or rosemary bread, etc. The Ansh book has an expansive additional section, including recipes for bagels, pita, cinnamon rolls and much more. Nonetheless, we used the Wiener and Yifrach recipe for za'atar bread.

Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice mixture, generally comprised of marjoram, oregano, thyme, sesame and sumac. I was introduced to it as a dip for bread, with olive oil, by an Israeli friend of mine and I was excited to see what it would taste like baked into the bread itself.

All around, the day was very successful. Despite the numerous pictures provided, it took each of us a few tries to understand the various braiding methods. As well, we made the mistake of baking the first loaves of challah too long – but we didn't burn any of them, and the loaves that followed were perfect. The bread was also really tasty, especially hot from the oven, with a dab or two of butter.

I now have in my freezer a loaf of za'atar bread, a standard four-braided challah, a braided round challah and a pull-apart challah. Not bad for one day's work. It'll take me a few months to get through it all, but once they're gone, I'll cracking open one of these cookbooks again for sure.

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