Authentic Chassidic Challah This recipe is from Rebbetzin Sarah Meisels Biographical note: Rebbetzin Sarah Meisels was raised in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of the well known Chassidic Grand Rebbe, R’Shlomo Halbershtam, zt”l (obm). R’ Shlomo was a scion of the Bobover Dynasty, and led a large community of Chassidim in pre-war Europe, following in the…
Puffed Matzo Bread Rolls This is a great, easy alternative bread recipe that I got from my mother. It literally takes less than 10 minutes from start to bake, and for those who use matzo meal on Passover, you can make them on Passover as well! This also works well for those who cannot eat…
Whole Wheat Olive Oil Challah Yields: 2 large challahs or 3 medium sized ones Ingredients 2-2 ½ cups warm water, start with 2 cups 5 ½ cups light or 70% whole wheat flour 1 ¾ cups regular whole wheat flour 1/3 – 1/2 cup light brown sugar ½ T. salt, plus a bit more ¼…
Rich ‘n Tasty Mixed Wheat Egg Challahs Makes 6 larger sized challahs or 30 small rolls You may halve this recipe very easily if you prefer less for your family, or follow the storage techniques for extra challahs listed on page 42 of the book… Ingredients 2 cups white flour 3 cups whole wheat flour…
Why did you write “A Taste of Challah?” I’ve been asked this questions many times, especially when I do a live presentation about challah – what prompted me to want to write an entire book on challah. The answer is kind of simple: I didn’t know how to make challah and so I went looking…
Why are so many scared away from baking challah? What advice do you have for them? I think a lot of people just assume that making your own challahs is a project, a burden, something that will take too long and be too hard to do. Many, many women are also not aware of the…
Challah seems to touch the soul of so many…why do you think that is? Because its essence is holy; since it is a mitzvah from our Torah, it is NOT just another baking session.
Do you bake challah each week? I most certainly try… Most importantly of all, besides praying while you create the challahs, praying when you do the mitzvah and praying that it comes out good (Yes! I do that too!) is to just enjoy the process. It may take a bit longer than a cake, but…
Is Challah baking today different from 100 years ago? How? Can’t say that I’m exactly old enough to know the differences myself…but I’m sure it involved different steps since they did not have electric ovens, refrigerators, freezers, and the plethora of ready made flour and materials that we have today. My grandmother, may she live…
What advice do you have for experienced bakers who want to improve their challahs? The key to good challahs is a very good dough. It should be soft enough to handle easily, but not too wet or too thin, and firm enough to shape with well. You should knead it for at least 5 minutes…