Bake a Challah for Shabbat San Diego

Love a challah? You know, that sweet egg bread that's traditionally baked for Friday night Sabbath, or Shabbat, dinners in Jewish households. I'm passionate about this soft rich bread, whether broken apart at the Sabbath meal, used as sandwich bread for egg salad, or turned into French toast. My mom dries it out and uses it to make our family's beloved chestnut stuffing for Thanksgiving.

This Thursday, Nov. 10 you can take part in one of three Mega Challah Bake events. They're the kick-off events that mark Shabbat San Diego this weekend. San Diego's Jewish community will be one of 1,000 cities in 90 countries sharing a traditional Shabbat day or rest as part of the worldwide "Shabbos Project"--an event that started in 2014. Locally, that includes hosted Shabbat dinners on Friday, Nov. 11, morning services and lunch at various congregations the following day with afternoon study and lectures, and then a free Unity Havdalah Celebration Saturday evening at the San Diego Civic Theatre downtown at 7:30. The havdalah ceremony at sunset on Saturday marks the end of Shabbat.

Want to make your own challah? It's easy. It's the first bread I learned how to bake when I was a child. Traditionally, it's sprinkled with sesame and poppy seeds, but you can do a egg wash with cinnamon sugar topping or incorporate raisins or other dried fruit into the dough. The only real challenge is learning how to braid it--and there are different styles for doing it, including a six-strand method. During the year, the bread is shaped into a long loaf. On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year just celebrated a month ago, the dough is braided into a round loaf.

Traditional Challah
Makes 1 loaf
(printable recipe)

1 tablespoon dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus another couple of teaspoons to oil the bowl
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten for wash
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds

Dissolve the year and sugar in a bowl with the water. Let stand for 2 minutes until the yeast foams.

Add salt, oil, and eggs. Mix well. Gradually add the flour. Turn the dough onto a floured surface. Knead for 7 minutes or until smooth.

Clean and oil the bowl and return the dough to it. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let rise about an hour or until it's close to doubled in size. Punch it down, cover it, and let it rise again for about half an hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and braid it by separating the dough into three equal parts. Gently roll each part into a log about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the logs next to each other vertically in front of you. Starting from the top, pinch together the ends of the three logs, then gently braid them until you reach the bottom. Pinch the ends at the bottom together and tuck both ends underneath the loaf.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap or a tea towel and let it rise a second time for half an hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°. Remove the plastic wrap/towel and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle the seeds. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until nicely brown.

Mega Challah Bakes will take place at:

• San Diego Jewish Academy 6:30 pm (11860 Carmel Creek Rd) -All Welcome
• Tifereth Israel Social Hall 6:30 pm (6660 Cowles Mountain Blvd) -All Welcome
• Beth Jacob Social Hall 5:30 pm (4855 College Ave) -Women and Girl's Only Challah Bake

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Change It Up a Little for the High Holidays

We love our traditions, but sometimes it's nice to mix it up a little with new recipes and new approaches to longstanding habits. The Jewish High Holidays -- Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur -- begin at the end of the week. Erev Rosh Hashanah starts on Friday at sundown. Kol Nidre starts at sundown on Sept. 27th. These are days marked by the sweetness of a new year--we dip sliced apples into honey--and 24 hours of fasting that help us reflect on our lives and repent for sins we committed in the previous year. Then comes the breaking of the fast with foods that are flavorful yet easy on the stomach. In my home, it was with dairy and pareve dishes like blintzes, herring or other fish, salads, and bagels, lox, and cream cheese.

There are a number of foods that have symbolic meaning this time of year, in both Ashkenazic and Sephardic traditions. The apples and honey, of course, but also pomegrantes, which are now coming into season. One of the reasons pomegranates are considered special is that they're said to contain 613 seeds, which is the same as the number of commandments, or mitzvot, in the Bible. And, with such a large number of seeds, there is, of course, that connection to fertility.

I recently learned fish heads are a traditional Rosh Hashanah food. We never had them in my home growing up, but they represent the "head" of the New Year and, again, abundance and fertility. As in being as abundant as the fish in the sea...

The round challah, a beautiful bread, departs from the traditional braided version eaten on Shabbat, and represents the circle of life and continuity of the Jewish year. Do you add raisins to your bread? Well, that just makes the challah--and life--extra sweet.

If you're looking for symbolic protection of the Jewish people from enemies, you can look to foods like leeks, beets, and dates that serve that function during Rosh Hashanah.

And, more common among Middle Eastern Jews, is the consumption of the herb fenugreek. That's because the Hebrew word for fenugreek has a similar sound to the Hebrew word for "increase." According to holidays.net, when eating fenugreek, a special prayer is recited to ask God to increase our merits.

I don't know about you, but between my stalwart Jewish cookbooks and my family recipes, I could work with my mom to make a holiday meal without thinking too much about it. But since these holidays are about reflection, maybe it would be a good idea to also give some thought to the dishes we prepare for our famlies and friends. A new recipe requires a bit of concentration and openness to how others feed their souls.

In that spirit, I thought I'd share a collection of interesting blogs and sites that might inspire you to break out of old, familiar habits and explore something a little different. And, if you have some new resources for holiday recipes, I hope you'll share them here in the comments section.

L' shanah Tovah!

• I had a Poppa. Maybe you did, too. This honey cake recipe from Zabar's honors Andrea Watman's Poppa and offers a nice spice twist to a familiar dessert. http://zabars.typepad.com/recipes/2009/08/recipe-for-poppas-rosh-hashanah-honey-cake.html
• This Joan Nathan Pomegranate-Walnut chicken on recipe4living.com can be made with other proteins as well. A novel move away from traditional roasted chicken. http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/pomegranate_walnut_chicken.htm
• Is there anything more delicious and more controversial than noodle kugel? Some like it sweet, others savory. Some add fruit, others want to keep it simple. But, I'd never seen a kugel with fine noodles before--my experience is with wide egg noodles. But, here's Reba's Kugel on the blog Food and Things. Perfect for a break-the-fast meal. http://www.foodandthings.com/2008/10/yom-kippur-break-the-fast-recipe-the-best-noodle-kugel/
• Now this sounds great--a Warm Barley and Apple Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette from Modern Jewish Mom. Maybe add a little French feta cheese? What a great and healthy alternative to kugel! http://modernjewishmom.com/warmbarleyandapplesalad.htm
• I'm not so sure about this, but if you have vegetarians in your life, perhaps a Mock "Gefilte Fish" from jewishblogging.com would be a welcome addition to the table. There's also a Sprouted Lentil Salad recipe. http://www.jewishblogging.com/blog.php?bid=160175
• I like the sound of Honey-and-Cumin Glazed Cornish Hens on Yumsugar's site: http://www.yumsugar.com/2135190.
• Serious eats does shortbread. As in Honey Lavender Shortbread. Good-bye honey cake! http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/09/honey-lavender-shortbread-cookies-recipe.html
• Allthingsicecream.com has a lovely looking Cinnamon Honey Ice Cream: http://allthingsicecream.wordpress.com/2008/01/18/cinnamon-honey-ice-cream/
• My gluten-free friend Karina Allrich has a delicious Roasted Vegetable Frittata perfect for breaking the fast: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2006/02/roasted-vegetable-frittata.html
• Finally, I end with a site that shows you how to make a beautiful braided round challah. I may try this on Friday. http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/562553/jewish/Weaving-Round-Challah.htm
  

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