Challah Facts

Challah is a light, airy Jewish bread that is best eaten straight from the oven.

Challah, also spelled hallah, is a sweet, braided Jewish bread that is traditionally served during the Sabbath and holidays. With the advent of modern bakeries, challah has become a popular sweet bread outside of the Jewish community. Does this Spark an idea?

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History
- Modern challah recipes date to 15th-century Germany, when the braided texture became the norm for the bread. However, the tradition of challah dates back to biblical times, when Jewish women baked a separate bread as a tithe to priests.
Significance
- Two loaves of challah are baked for Sabbath, representative of the food that God provided while the Israelites wandered for 40 years after their exodus from Egypt. During the Sabbath, the challah is blessed before the meal can commence.
Ingredients
- A great deal of flour and eggs is used to make challah. Challah is quite sweet, due to the large amount of honey. The bread is nondairy--water is used in the recipe--so that meat can be eaten at the meal that follows.
Varieties
- Modern challah generally uses fewer eggs than its traditional counterpart. For those with celiac disease, white flour can be replaced with spelt or rice flour. Whole-wheat challah is quite popular.

Photo Credit bread image by musk from Fotolia.com

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