Classic Golden Challah Recipe
(serves 6-8)

Ingredients 

½ cup tepid water (about 110°F) 
2 tablespoons honey, warmed 
1(¼ -ounce) envelope rapid-rise dry yeast 
2¾ cups our 
1½ teaspoons salt 
¼ teaspoon saffron threads 
¼ cup peanut oil 
3 eggs 
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Try this food-processor method just one time with kids helping and it will become a habit. A little saffron gives it color; honey adds just a trace of sweetness. For the Holidays, one-third cup raisins may be added before kneading. Makes two small loaves or one large loaf.

Directions
   1. In a small bowl, mix tepid water and one tablespoon honey. Sprinkle on yeast and stir once or twice. Let stand at room temperature until foamy, 10 minutes or so. 
    2. In a food processor, mix our, salt, and saffron. Add yeast mixture, oil, two beaten eggs, and remaining tablespoon of honey. 
    3. Process until mixture comes together in a ball, 30 seconds. Turn onto floured board. Knead for two minutes until smooth. Let rest ten minutes. Punch down. Divide dough in half if two smaller loaves are desired. 
   4. If making one large loaf, press into a rectangle about 10" x 6": if making two small loaves, press each half into an 8" x 4" rectangle. Cut rectangle into three strips lengthwise. Pinch together at one end. Braid by bringing right strip over center, then left over center, repeating until you come to the end. Pinch ends together and tuck under.
    5. Place on an oiled baking sheet. Cover lightly with a kitchen towel. Set in a warm, draft-free place until double in size, about one hour.
    6. Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Beat remaining egg and brush over challahs. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
    7. Bake until deep golden and bread sounds hollow when tapped on bottom with fingers; 25 minutes for two small loaves, 40 minutes for one large loaf. Let cool on wire rack. Serve at room temperature. 

   I spent much of my free time at Bubbe’s hip watching her cut sugar cookies, dough for an apple pie, or kneading and braiding Challah (the traditional egg bread made for the Sabbath celebration). In my mind, I can still see the beautiful golden brown crust and smell the fresh dough.
   Each Friday as she made the Challah, the ritual was the same. She placed the dough on a large wooden baker’s block, sprinkling our and working it with her hands. By her side I tried unsuccessfully to resist the temptation to jab a finger into the smooth, almost breathing mixture.
   When the dough was ready, Granny cut it into three equal pieces that she rolled into cylindrical strips, coated with additional white our, then wove into a beautiful braid. She brushed the top of the Challah with egg yolk and popped it into the oven. The baking Challah made the kitchen smell sweet and inviting.
   One day Granny gave me a large lump of dough and told me to go out in to the sunshine and make my own Challah. I sat bathed in the after-noon light atop the cellar door rolling my dough into three equal strips. As I dusted it with sand from the backyard, it became encrusted with pieces of stone and leaves.
    When I was finished with the preparation of my Challah, I brought it in to Granny, who placed it in the oven alongside the Challah she had prepared. She praised me lovingly for my skill with the dough and sent me on my way.
    That night I proudly sat at the Sabbath table with our whole family. I beamed when my grandfather passed around the small Challah - pure white with a beautiful golden crust. Everyone at the table ate a piece and told me what a wonderful job I had done.
   It wasn’t until years later that I learned Granny had made a second, small bread and exchanged it for the one I had made which was covered in leaves and stones. Granny always made the effort to help the ones she loved feel proud of themselves. Lucky for us. 

Henry Sonenshein is a retired physician who began writing in his early sixties. He is a 2001 winner of the Senior Personal Essay Writing contest at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. Dr. Sonenshein’s favorite topics are the memoirs of his youth. You can email him at sunsheinh@aol.com. 

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