Our Favorite Challah Comes from Zingerman’s Bakehouse!
Challah is a 600 year old recipe, dating back to 15th-century Ashkenazi Jews in Eastern Europe. By the 19th and 20th centuries, challah was reserved as a special Shabbat bread for European Jews to enjoy at the end of the week as a respite from the hearty rye eaten all week long. The word “challah” is a word derived from Hebrew meaning “portion,” referring to the portion of dough consecrated as a gift for God and given to priests in the original Temple in Jerusalem before Shabbat.
Challah can come in many shapes that have different significance depending on the occasion! Zingerman’s Bakehouse makes their challah in traditional braids as well as standard pan loaves for ease of sandwich making. What makes this challah special? The Bakehouse uses organic wheat flour, lots of yolks from cage-free eggs, local Michigan honey from Gearig Apiaries in Ithaca, yeast, and a little bit of corn oil.
The most common shape baked for Shabbat is the braid, which can have anywhere from three to six strands. Challah makes delicious French toast or bread pudding. The texture is soft and pillowy, but can still support a hefty sandwich. We use Bakehouse challah on our sandwich menu for #27 Pat & Dick’s Honeymooner, #23 Mary’s Commute, #74 Dave’s Open Road, and #64 Gitkin’s Chicken Rendition.
During Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the Bakehouse makes Challah Turbans whose circular shape represent the continuity of life. These holiday challahs come in plain or studded with rum-soaked raisins. Also available during the High Holidays is a five-strand Moroccan Challah covered in poppy, sesame, and anise seeds and German Challah, which uses potatoes in place of eggs.
Traditional Shabbat ritual involves a blessing said over two loaves of challah, often covered by a special fabric cover. Two loaves are used to symbolize the two portions of manna distributed on Fridays to the Jewish people during their 40 years in the desert after their exodus from Egypt — and when it comes to such a delicious bread, you’ll definitely want more than one loaf!
