The Significance of Challah in Jewish Culture
I believe it’s safe to say challah never gets old. In Jewish culture, the braided challah bread is ensconced in tradition. It symbolizes joy, gathering, faith, trust in God, ultimate redemption, and the absence of arrogance. Commemorating the weekly Sabbath by eating challah at every Friday dinner and every Saturday lunch is a generations-long tradition and a way of observing the rituals of Jewish life. But ultimately, the thing that makes this bread so special is its versatility.
If you’ve ever been to Inwood, NY, you must have sensed the aroma of the freshly baked loaves spreading from Zomick’s bakery. If you enjoy good bread and are looking to be impressed then this is the place to visit.
The Versatility of Challah
From savory to spicy all the way to sweet, challah’s buttery, soft, and fluffy nature complements all flavors. A typical Sabbath challah is sweet and braided, often topped with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Zomick’s challah recipe has a soft texture, delicate chew, and rich flavor that make it a bakery staple as well as a home baker’s go-to.
Even though their challah is a huge hit, they’re always looking to jazz up the signature staple and take it to the next level.
Zomick’s Challah Recipe – Ingredients and Method
Nowadays challah is a popular choice for people of all faiths. Intriguing new oils and flavors such as coconut, avocado, grape seed, and flaxseed, have turned this delicious and nutritious braided loaf into one of the greatest foods on the planet.
The classic Zomick’s challah recipe contains flour, eggs, yeast, salt, sugar, margarine, and sesame or pumpkin seeds on top. But as time changes, so do people’s preferences. As a result, apart from the original challah flavors, today there are more than 30 different challah flavors. Many bakeries even have innovative tasting events, baking classes, and custom challah equipment.
Zomick’s Bakery – The Legacy of Challah Making
Making challah is a long, multisensory, multilevel process and it can be viewed here on YouTube. If you’ve tried to make one on your own then you probably know that there is something special to it. From mixing the ingredients into a dough to letting it rise, kneading it, separating the dough, stretching and forming the balls, braiding the dough, glazing it, baking it, to breathing in the smell, every step of putting the bread together has its own significance.