There are so many things to love about Shabbat. It’s a time to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the week, we enjoy setting a beautiful table and eating a relaxing meal with our family, and nothing tastes better than a fresh challah. Like so many others, we too have been experimenting with baking over the past year and have focused our attention on bread.
While trying out different recipes, we came across some fun challah facts that you can share at your next Shabbat dinner. The word challah originally meant only the small portion of dough that was put in the oven when baking bread. Some people say it is a reminder of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem while others say it describes the portion of the bread that is set aside. Since we just completed the holiday of Passover, it is interesting to note the reason why there are often two loaves of challah. Many families place two loaves of bread on their challah board to represent the double portion of manna that fell from the sky to feed the Jewish people who wandered in the desert for 40 years after leaving Egypt. Also, a challah is braided to look festive and we think it works!
Just in case you thought that a challah cover was to prevent little ones fingers from taking tastes before Shabbat, that’s not the case. A challah cover is to perform the hidur mitzvah, which is to make the commandment pleasing. An unadorned cloth over the challah is not enough. There should be a beautiful cover that is only for the challah on Shabbat.
Speaking about beautiful challah covers, not only do we love color in our decor, we also love it in our food. We mean more than the egg yolk yellows and the reds of wines, we love stepping out of the ordinary and trying recipes that take us on an adventure! Here you will find an amazing collection of challah recipes that we created in collaboration with Challah Hub. Previously, it was available only for VIPs and now it’s our gift to you.
Surprise your family this Shabbat with a challah that takes them on a culinary adventure! The hardest part will be choosing which recipe to try first. Will it be turmeric everything challah or matcha challah? Don’t worry, there’s also a terrific recipe for the time-tested original.
