Every Friday I bake my favorite bread "Challah Bread". The fragrance of the bread baking in the oven fills the house with a warm and inviting rich aroma.
Challah or braided bread, is very similar to the French Brioche Bread; the only difference is, brioche bread is made with lots of butter while challah bread is made with oil.
The word challah means, loaf or cake, and is eaten as special bread on ceremonial occasion such as Shabbat and other Jewish holidays.
Although I am not Jewish, I find making the bread very meaningful to me.
It is also eaten by many other cultures and called different names like Hallah, Chalka, Berkhes and many more names; they all mean the same thing," loaf of bread "or cake.
Each ingredient has a significant and symbolic meaning to me which I would like to share with you, it just makes making Challah, just a little more interesting and meaningful.
Ingredients And Symbolic meaning of my Challah Bread.
- 4 cups of flour - which is our sustenance and holds us together
- 1/4 cup brown sugar - Sweetness and blessings in our lives
- Salt - Preserves life
- 3 Eggs - All life comes from an egg, new life
- Oil - To sanctify us
- Water - Purifies us
- 10g Yeast - Rising to higher levels in life
Now for the all importance of putting it all together with loving kindness.
Recipe
Let yeast and 1 tsp sugar froth in a bowl for a few minutes.
Separate one egg yolk and keep aside, mix white of egg and the other eggs with oil and yeast
,
add to dry ingredients and mix into a soft dough,
knead for around 5 minutes, then cover and let rise until double in size.
Once risen pat down into a ball then cut into two pieces; cut one piece into three strips and roll into longish strip and braid them.
Do the same with other piece of dough to make two loves of bread.
Put in floured baking tray, or if you have baking sheets, use that in your tray, let rise again until double, around 30 to 40 minutes.
Brush egg yolk over entire dough and bake for 35 to 45 minutes on 180 C.
Beautiful fluffy and sweet Challah Bread.
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BON APPETIT EVERYONE!
This is my contribution towards the weekly @qurator foodie contest,
Qurator's; Hive Top Chef!|
Hope you will join in and show us your dough.
@qurator/qurators-hive-top-chef-or-dough