Baby Challah

My boyfriend has been blessed with the super power to tolerate old, moldy food in the fridge. He’ll even leave food out overnight and swear that it’s still good. I kid him about it, and have even gotten him a plushy of a moldy piece of toast. Really, though, I’m concerned for his health.

He buys loaves of challah for the Sabbath, pinches off a piece to have with wine and a prayer Friday night, and then the loaf sits around, goes stale and moldy. He resists my suggestions of putting the loaf in the fridge - ya know, because it might make it last longer. So, a large loaf of bread is wasted every week.

No longer! Jeering and deriding have had no effect on his behavior, so I completely changed my tactics - I made him baby loaves of challah. (Yes, I am the best girlfriend on this planet.) These things are so damn cute. I made some loaves with raisins, some with sesame seeds, and some plain. They’re sitting in the freezer, so he can just pull one out on Friday, have a pinch with the prayer, and there’s just enough left over to have as a pre-dinner snack or with dinner. I strive for maximum cuteness, so next time they’ll be even smaller – and cuter!

The last time I posted about challah, some one asked about vegan challah. I’ve never tried it, but PPK has one, and there’s also something called water challah.

Challah Back, Yo!

The Jewish High Holy Days are going on this week, so I made my boyfriend challah. Challah is traditional Jewish sweet bread often eaten on Shabbat and on holidays. Always wanting to make braided bread, I figured now was the time. Although not Jewish, I do worship French toast - challah’s second calling.

Challah is typically braided, but during Rosh Hashanah it is baked in a spiral to symbolize the cyclical nature of life, and the hope that the coming year will be complete and unbroken by misfortune. The addition of raisins is common and represents the sweet New Year, but I was drinking and dancing in the kitchen so forgot to add the raisins. Damn, I already screwed up my Jewish New Year. Oh well, my intentions were sweet.

I used the challah recipe in Baking with Julia and all went well. The bread rose higher than any bread I’ve made, but deflated when I applied the egg wash with my hands. I need to work on “gentle touch” and purchasing a pastry brush. I’m such a beast.