Challah bread

In our homeschool this fall, we are discussing Creation to the Greeks, with My Father's World Curriculum. One of the books that was included with our curriculum was "Celebrating Biblical Feasts in Your Home or Church" by Martha Zimmerman. You can find it on Amazon.com here.

So far this has been a fascinating book for me to read. I've always been interested in the Jewish Feasts and Festivals, and in learning more about them. One activity that we did this past week was to make Challah bread. I've made lots of bread before, but not Challah. It was a little bit of a process, but delicious in the end! It was supposed to be part of a Sabbath feast. Since we were not at home, we didn't have a whole feast, but discussed some things and made the bread.

Here is the recipe from the book:

Challah 

(Sabbath Bread)

2 packages dry yeast

2 cups warm water

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

4 tsp salt

3 eggs, slightly beaten

7 1/2 cups flour

Take a large bowl and pour in two cups warm water. Take your time testing to make sure it is warm, not hot or cool. Soften the yeast in the water. Add the sugar, oil and salt. Blend in the eggs, (reserve 1 tbsp for brushing). Add 3 cups flour- beat well to avoid lumps. Let it rest about 5 minutes. Gradually add the rest of the flour, (4 1/2 cups). Oil the table or board you will use and your hands, and knead the dough about 10 minutes. 

After kneading...

Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a clean cloth and leave in a warm place. Let rise about 1 1/2 hours. Shape. Braid on cookie sheet. If you sprinkle corn meal on the bottom of the pan, the bottom of the loaf comes out textured. Brush top with egg. Sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Let rise one hour. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Tap the bottom of the loaf. When there is a hollow sounds the bread is done.

 Partway through baking...

  All done! YUM! The smell of bread baking... oh my!

This makes two very large loaves or three average size loaves. Braid two for the Sabbath table and make one loaf in a regular bread pan. The author includes diagrams of how to lay and braid the bread pieces. 

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My daughter and I enjoyed this process and working on it together! The bread was quite yummy, and my family ate it up! I want to try it again sometime soon!

Let me know if you try it or have any tips, I'd love to hear them! It was a neat experience for us!

Leviticus 24:7-9 
By each stack put some pure incense as a memorial^[a] portion to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. ⁸ This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. ⁹ It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord.”


Mark 14:22
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”


Luke 11:3
Give us each day our daily bread.

John 6:33-35
For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

“Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.