Challah: The Bread of Shabbat

The Crown of the Shabbat Table

If there is one food that symbolizes Jewish home life more than any other, it may be challah — the golden, braided bread that graces the Shabbat and holiday table. Its shiny, egg-washed crust, soft and slightly sweet interior, and elegant braided form make it one of the most recognizable foods in the Jewish culinary tradition.

But challah is more than beautiful bread. It carries layers of religious meaning, historical memory, and cultural identity that transform a simple baked good into something sacred.

What Is Challah?

In common usage, challah refers to the special bread eaten on Shabbat and holidays. It is typically:

• Made from an enriched dough containing flour, water, eggs, oil or butter, sugar, salt, and yeast
• Braided — most commonly in a three-strand or six-strand braid
• Glazed with egg wash before baking, giving it a deep golden shine
• Slightly sweet and wonderfully soft

However, the word “challah” originally referred not to bread itself but to a portion of dough separated and given to the priests (kohanim) during the Temple period. The commandment to separate challah from bread dough is one of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah. Today, when baking a large batch of bread, observant Jews still separate a small piece of dough, recite a blessing, and burn the piece — a symbolic remembrance of the Temple offering.

The Two Loaves

On Shabbat and holidays (except Passover), two loaves of challah are placed on the table. This custom recalls the double portion of manna that God provided to the Israelites in the desert on Fridays, so they would not need to gather food on Shabbat.

The two loaves are covered with a cloth before the blessing. Several explanations are offered for the covering:

• It recalls the layers of dew that covered the manna in the desert.
• It protects the “dignity” of the bread — since the blessing over wine (Kiddush) is recited first, the challah is covered so it is not “shamed” by being passed over.
• It creates a beautiful unveiling moment when the cloth is removed.

The Blessing

Before eating challah, the following blessing is recited:

“Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, hamotzi lechem min ha-aretz.” (“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.”)

After the blessing, the challah is traditionally torn by hand (not cut with a knife, as some customs hold that a knife — a weapon — should not be used on Shabbat) and distributed to everyone at the table. Each piece is often dipped in salt, recalling the salt that accompanied Temple offerings.

Shapes and Their Meanings

The Standard Braid

The most common challah is a braided loaf, typically with three or six strands. The braid is both beautiful and meaningful:

• Three strands may represent truth, peace, and justice.
• Six strands are said to symbolize the six days of creation, or the twelve loaves of showbread in the Temple (two loaves x six strands = twelve).

Round Challah for Rosh Hashanah

For Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), challah is baked in a round shape, symbolizing:

• The cyclical nature of the year
• The crown of God’s sovereignty
• Wholeness and completion

Rosh Hashanah challah is often enriched with raisins for extra sweetness and is dipped in honey instead of salt — expressing the wish for a sweet new year.

Other Special Shapes

• Key-shaped challah (shlissel challah): Baked on the Shabbat after Passover, symbolizing the “opening” of heavenly gates of sustenance.
• Bird-shaped challah: Made in some communities before Yom Kippur, symbolizing the angels who carry prayers heavenward.
• Turban challah: A spiral shape popular in some Sephardi communities.

Challah Across Jewish Communities

While braided challah is most closely associated with Ashkenazi tradition, virtually every Jewish community has its own Shabbat bread:

Ashkenazi Challah

The classic braided, egg-enriched challah that most people picture. Eastern European varieties may be relatively plain, while some German Jewish traditions produce more cake-like, buttery challah (using oil rather than butter to keep it pareve for meat meals).

Sephardi Breads

Sephardi Shabbat breads vary widely:

• Moroccan Jews bake a bread called mufleta (more commonly associated with Mimouna after Passover) and various types of round, pull-apart Shabbat breads.
• Iraqi Jews prepare a flatbread-style Shabbat bread or a rich, somewhat dense loaf.
• Turkish and Greek Jews have their own Shabbat bread traditions, sometimes incorporating sesame seeds, anise, or orange blossom water.

Yemenite Kubaneh

Kubaneh is a Yemenite Jewish Shabbat bread that is utterly unlike Ashkenazi challah. It is a rich, buttery, pull-apart bread slow-baked overnight in a sealed pot, producing an incredibly tender, almost steamed texture. Kubaneh is traditionally served for Shabbat morning breakfast, and its popularity has spread throughout Israel.

Ethiopian Dabo

Ethiopian Jews prepare dabo, a spiced bread made for special occasions including Shabbat. It may include spices like cardamom, coriander, and fenugreek, reflecting the distinctive flavors of Ethiopian cuisine.

Baking Challah: A Beloved Practice

Baking challah at home — particularly on Friday afternoons — is one of the most cherished Jewish domestic traditions. The process of mixing, kneading, braiding, and baking fills the home with warmth and fragrance, building anticipation for Shabbat.

A Basic Challah Recipe Framework

While recipes vary, a typical challah dough includes:

• 4-5 cups flour (bread flour or all-purpose)
• 1/4 cup sugar (or honey)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2-3 eggs
• 1 cup warm water

The dough is kneaded until smooth and elastic, left to rise, shaped into braids, allowed to rise again, brushed with egg wash, and baked at 350-375 degrees until golden. The result is a bread that is simultaneously simple and extraordinary.

Separating Challah

When making a large batch (using more than approximately 2.5 pounds of flour, depending on the custom), the baker performs the mitzvah of hafrashat challah — separating a small piece of dough while reciting:

“Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah.”

The separated piece is burned (usually wrapped in foil and placed in the oven). This connects the home baker to the ancient Temple service, turning an ordinary kitchen activity into a sacred act.

More Than Bread

Challah connects the physical and spiritual in a way that is characteristically Jewish. It transforms the basic human need for nourishment into a practice of gratitude, remembrance, and holiness. The bread on the Shabbat table is not just food — it is memory (the manna in the desert), identity (a distinctively Jewish creation), community (shared at a table with family and guests), and faith (sanctified by blessings and the act of separation).

In a world of mass-produced food, the tradition of baking challah by hand — feeling the dough yield under your palms, watching the braids rise, pulling apart the warm bread on Friday night — remains one of the most tangible and satisfying ways to participate in Jewish life.