This summer, we’re updating and re-printing some posts from our old website. This one was first posted in 2018.

Judy writes:

In our house, Shabbat dinner is the night that’s complete with our own family traditions that make it unique to just our family. We choose from the four different candlesticks that made their way into our home: A couple from Israel, a gift from friends, and a set from Grandma and Grampa. We have several Kiddush cups – each were gifts given to us and our children to mark the occasions of births and B’nai Mitzvah. We alternate challah covers that came to us at our wedding.

However, it is the fresh challah I make each week that really “makes” Shabbat for us. It wasn’t always like this- we would usually run out to the store each week to pick up a challah and keep it in the bag until it was time to eat. Then I found a recipe for challah that worked for me. It’s easy to do, easy to bake, easy to freeze, and tastes delicious.

There is something about greeting the family with the aroma of a challah still baking in the oven, that truly brings Shabbat into our house every Friday. That first taste of sweet warm bread after HaMotzi announces, “Shabbat is here and it’s time to relax”.

It seems I was not alone in looking for a recipe to call my own. A quick search online for 
”Easy Challah recipe” should result in a method that may work for you, as it did for me. Here’s one that I first saw posted on Facebook: “Challah in a bag” from Jewlish by Jamie (formerly Jewlish.com). The challah section of the website site also has bread machine recipes, alternate flour recipes, and braiding tutorials, and more.

As for me, my recipe came from the cookbook “Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day” by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. and Zoë François https://artisanbreadinfive.com/

In our hope of bringing the tradition of fresh baked challah to those observing Shabbat in their new homes, we adapted this recipe for our JewJu Boxes – a loaf small enough to be baked in a toaster oven. May your Shabbat be as sweet and warm as a home-baked Challah.