More Rants/Raves

[gnomi]

I couldn't get overly ranty about this, doeeyedbunny, I'm sorry; I got more lecture-y than ranty.



Technically, any bread can be called challah bread. This is because "challah" technically refers to the piece of dough that is separated out to be given to the Cohen (priest). "Challah" has come to refer to the bread we eat on Shabbat -- a glazed egg bread -- but calling it "challah bread" is redundant.

Most knowledgeable people refer to the bread we eat on Shabbat simply as "challah."

The mitzvah (commandment) to remove the piece of dough (which, today, is burned since we no longer have the Cohen to give it to) comes from Numbers, chapter 15 verse 20, where it is compared to the Terumah (elevated offering) given from the threshing floor.

Go here for more information on the mitzvah of challah.


Challah -- especially home-made challah straight out of the oven -- is yummy. I should bake more challah one of these days.

Comments

[sorek.livejournal.com]

I don't think we're alone in the "redundant department of redundancy, food division".

I have a kosher chinese cookbook that I believe states that "chao" means "stir-fried" and "mien" means "noodles", so when people refer to "chow mien noodles" what they're really saying is "stir fried noodles noodles".

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

You're probably right -- redundant food terms are likely universal. I'd attribute it to one culture adopting the food and terminology for that food from another culture but then wanting to tack on some native word to identify what the actual food is.

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

oh, now i'm hungry. >.< how do you feel about challah with raisins?

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I like challah in all forms -- raisins or no, whole wheat, etc.

And you?

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

i've never even heard of whole wheat challah! it's good? where do you get it? or did you make it?

me, i prefer it with raisins, but i'll very happily eat it without. (golden raisins over regular dark raisins, but again, not picky. :> )

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I like whole wheat challah. The stuff I tend to get is from Andrew's Catering and is available at the Butcherie usually on Thursdays and Fridays (and, yes -- I could procure a loaf and then figure out a way to get it to you).

I agree about golden over dark raisins. Though I'm not particularly picky, either.

[emrinalexander.livejournal.com]

Now I'm really hungry - do you have a good recipe for challah? My first three attempts have come out more, well...let's just say "hockey puck" consistency. I haven't made any kind of bread in 20 years, and I know I"m not doing something right, I just can't remember/figure out what it is.

[magid.livejournal.com]

If your yeast isn't dead, perhaps you're not giving it a long enough rise? (The second rise especially helps to make lighter bread.)

[doeeyedbunny.livejournal.com]

The Jewish Catalog has some very good challah recipies, but I think it's out of print.
(Btw, I love your icon.)

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I do have a good recipe -- my mom's -- but it's at home and I'm at work. I'll type it up, though, and put it somewhere you can find it (either I'll post it here, on my webpage, or I'll e-mail it to you).

My mom's recipe has never failed on me.

[quarkwiz.livejournal.com]

I have one that I got from a newspaper years ago. I've made it a few times and I like it. Shall I post it here? I won't unless you say okay. :-) Can't wait to see yours 'cause I'm sure it's better. Family trumps newspaper recipes any day!

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Hee! Post away! I'm always fond of recipes and the sharing thereof.

[quarkwiz.livejournal.com]

It's funny--a Dutch fan by the name of Martin Wisse started up a rasff (rec.arts.sf.fandom) recipe page years ago, and I sent him the recipe. I don't think it's been accumulating many entries lately, but there's some good stuff. Including "my" recipe, so here you go. He shouldn't say All Rights Reserved, considering where I got it (if I could just remember which paper it was)!

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Neat! Thanks for the link!

[emrinalexander.livejournal.com]

I do have a good recipe -- my mom's -- but it's at home and I'm at work. I'll type it up, though, and put it somewhere you can find it (either I'll post it here, on my webpage, or I'll e-mail it to you).

My mom's recipe has never failed on me.

Thank you! There's nothing I love more than home baked bread, and the challah I had at my mentor's house was the kind of bread that makes you think you are in heaven. My prior efforts, unfortunately, take you to the other place *G*.

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

Mm. I'm familiar with the "trying to replicate a recipe you loved and not getting it right" problem. I hope you have some luck with the recipe.

get a bread machine

[lucretia-borgia.livejournal.com]

I bake challah every week now, finding time for this only because I make the dough in the bread machine Thurs. night, let it rise in the fridge overnight (it does a little), shape it in the morning, and rise all day thereafter. It comes out quite acceptable.

Re: get a bread machine

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

We're hoping to get one someday, when we (hopefully) have more storage and a little more disposable income...

[zhaneel69.livejournal.com]

Interestingly enough, I didn't realize that some (most?) challah is braided. I learned to make bread, specifically a honey wheat, from a friend who taught me to braid the bread. This is because we like pull breads as often we were taking bread to Faire events where utensils were more trouble than they were worth. So being able to have mouthful sized pieces was a good thing.

Anyhow, one of my Jewish friends upon seeing my bread for the first time asked me if it was challah. I was stumped. I just make bread.

Zhaneel

[gnomi.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure why braiding is traditional, but it is. :-) There are certain times of the year (Rosh HaShannah, Shavuot, Yom Kippur) when other shapes/formations are traditional, as well, but you can almost never go wrong with a braided challah.