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| The first honor goes to my wife,
Sharon. The Challah recipe that follows avoids the use of egg yolks and saturated
fats. The Olive Oil adds a good tasting effect. Canola oil could be
used instead but the taste becomes relatively bland. The absence of egg yolks
results in a flatter loaf than normal Challah, i.e. doesn't rise as much as one with baked
egg yolks. We are still working on reducing the salt. My version uses artificial
sweetener instead of the sugar. That results in a less chewy bread and
and a loss of some height. Sharon also uses this recipe in a bread machine. The taste and internal texture hold together reasonably well but it ain't the same. If a bread machine is used, the amount of the ingredients need to be cut in half.
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Some words about Challah (or Hallah for some). Challah means dough and refers to bread made from dough that has undergone separation. There is a mitzvah (religious law) that requires the head of the dough to be separated and given to the priests as tithe. Since the destruction of the Temple, this mitzvah has been satisfied by separating a portion of the Challah (a piece about the size of an olive) and burning the separated piece in the oven. The preference is to separate the dough before baking but it may be done after. Burning the separated piece is a symbolic sacrifice. Only breads made from wheat, barley, maize, spelt,and oats require separation.
Challahs are normally eaten on the Sabbath (Shabbos). The five grains mentioned above were beyond the economic means of many of our ancestors, i.e., considered "rich man's food." To make us all rich on Shabbos, we eat Challah. Challahs are always served in pairs on Shabbos and Yom Tovs (Holidays). This is symbolic of the showbreads of the Temple and the double portions of manna received in the desert on Friday. None was received on Shabbos.
Ingredients:
| 2 pkg. - Fleishmann’s™ Active Dry Yeast | 4 Tsp. - salt |
| 2 cups - warm water (105o F to 115o F) | 4 cups - bread flour |
| 1/4 cup - Olive or Canola oil | 4 cups - unbleached flour |
| 2/3 cup - Better'n Egg™ egg substitute | 1/4 cup - egg substitute with 2 tsp. water (for brushing) |
| 1/2 cup - sugar (1/4 cup honey is better) | - Sesame seed (optional) |
Mix warm water and yeast in large stainless steel bowl. Add sugar, oil, and salt. Blend in egg substitute and flour. Add flour a little at a time to make soft dough. Knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). Place dough in greased bowl and turn to grease top and bottom of the dough. Cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm draft free place until the dough doubles in size (about 2 hours). Punch dough down and remove to a lightly floured surface.
Divide dough into three equal parts and re-divide each into three equal parts. The latter should be shaped into 11 inch long strips. Braid the 3 strips into a loaf (three times for three loaves) and place each loaf on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover the loaves and let rise in a warm draft-free place until they double in size (about 1 1/2 hours). Brush the loaves with he mixture of egg substitute and water. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake at 375o F for 35 minutes or until done. Remove from baking sheets and let cool on wire racks.
Scary, no?
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Jerold H Feinstein
saftyrma@erols.com
