As the weather turns a bit colder and frost gathers on the window corners, I think about the impact our family history has had on our current traditions. Now that I am raising my own family, I am trying to cultivate our own traditions while still continuing ones I cherished as a child. As December marches on, one tradition stands firm for some families, baking bread.
With all the glitz and glam of fad diets and carb-phobia, it seems like we Americans have lost our appreciation for such a simple and life giving food. I am hoping that even if you do not eat bread, that you might find the process of baking bread satisfying.
Brief History of Challah / Chałka:
Challah refers to the part of the bread that has been separated from the loaf that has and saved as an offering, blessed, and burned. As written in the Bible (Numbers 15:18-21):
...The Lord spoke to Moses saying: Speak to the children of Israel and you shall say to them, When you arrive in the Land to which I am bringing you, and you eat from the bread of the Land, you shall set aside a gift for the Lord. The first portion of your dough, you shall separate a loaf for a gift; as in the case of the gift of the threshing floor, so shall you separate it...
In Eat and Be Satisfied: A Social History of Jewish Food, Jon Cooper writes that the term challah was first given to this bread in Austria/South Germany in the 15th century when it was adopted by the Jews for Shabbat. The bread was the local traditional Sunday loaf. Before the term "challah" was coined, it was called berches. This popular local bread became the Jewish ritual bread in Germany, Austria, and Bohemia and was taken to Poland, Eastern Europe, and Russia when the Jews migrated east.
Challah recipes differ depending on the region they were adapted from. Chałka is the polish variation of the traditional challah bread from Ashkenazi tradition. Its Polish cousin is sweeter and can be made with dried fruits or a streusel topping.
In addition to Jewish holidays and Sabbath, chałka is a popular bread served at both Christmas and Easter, in Poland and Lithuania.
Chałka Recipe:
(This recipe can make 1 extra large loaf or 2 medium large loaves)
Ingredients:
- 1 stick/4 ounces butter *This is not a time to skimp on flavor. Fat = flavor. Margarine or other butter-like alternatives just don't do this recipe justice.
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk, whole (scalded) *Let me say it louder for the people in the back. This is not a time to skimp on flavor. Fat = flavor
- 2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup water (lukewarm)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (divided)
- 1 cup golden raisins (or more if you prefer)
Directions:
1. Scald your milk in a sauce pan and quickly remove from heat once its started to boil. Skim off fat that foams at the top. Add your butter and sugar to the milk. Stir so that butter is melted and sugar is incorporated.
2. Let this mixture cool to a lukewarm temp.
3. Proof your yeast for 10 minutes! Add your yeast to your lukewarm water (100-110 degrees) and at least 1/8 tsp of sugar. Stir to combine and wait. Your yeast should bubble to reach the 1/2 cup mark of your measuring cup. It should double in height. *If it doesn't double in height, throw out your proof and start over with a fresher yeast.
4. Add 3 cups of flour and salt to your stand mixer.
5. Add two beaten eggs, proofed yeast to the flour and start mixing with the kneading hook.
6. Start incorporating half of your lukewarm sugar/milk/butter mixture to the mixer.
7. Add the other half of your flour (3.5 cups) and the last of the milk/sugar/butter. Add in the raisins! Mix until the dough becomes elastic and smooth.
8. Turn out your dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit until it doubles in size. This can take up to 2 hours.
9. Turn out dough onto a floured surface. Punch down the dough a bit and decide if you want to make 1 or 2 loaves. If making 1 cut 3-4 strips from the loaf and roll until they are 14 inches long. If making 2 loaves cut 6 - 8 strips. Braid the loaf on a parchment lined baking sheet - tucking in each end of the loaf.
10. Cover the loaf with greased plastic wrap or a cotton cloth and let rise again for another hour or so.
11. Mix 1 egg and a tsp of water for your egg wash. Brush egg wash over the loaf. Bake at 350 (preferably on convection setting) for 30 minutes. * If you loaf starts to become too brown cover lightly with aluminum foil.
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