Challah

Greetings friends and vast internet readership,

First off, thanks to Chef M. and the ladyfriend for creating l'Eucharistie. In addition to being a space to write and read about baking bread, this blog will be a space for our community of friends. Even though we are now scattered across the country, bread is one of the things that still ties us together.

With this blog's emphasis on friendship, it is absolutely fitting that my first post be about challah. It was this time of year about a year ago when I learned how to make it. The San Francisco summer was changing to fall, and I was going through a graduate school rough patch. My friend Colin and I jokingly referred to it as my malaise, which made me crack a smile because the title made it feel European and just about dramatic enough. At that time I was so crabby and unhappy that I was lucky to still have a friend, much less one who would make jokes in an effort to cheer me up.

One day mid-malaise, Colin proposed a very welcome distraction: his sister Charlie would spend an afternoon teaching us the family challah recipe. We headed to Berkeley and entered Charlie's apartment, instantly smelling the brisket in the oven. The kitchen counters were cleared off; we had flour and eggs at the ready. We spent the afternoon mixing and kneading and braiding dough, and then enjoyed a fantastic family dinner. We ate, drank wine, talked, and laughed for hours. I remember walking back to the BART station with Colin at the end of the night, each of us carrying our extra loaves of challah. We took the long way, chatting as we strolled down the quiet North Berkeley streets in the dark. I remember feeling a little tipsy and a lot grateful for his and Charlie's care and friendship.

Challah is a sweeter, but not desserty, bread. It is rich, eggy, and has a firm enough texture that you can use it for sandwiches. I recommend making it with the dough hook on a stand mixer if you can because the dough is elastic and and a formidable challenge for most handmixers or biceps. I'm not at liberty to share Colin and Charlie's family recipe, but there are a ton of recipes online. Here is a picture of the loaf I baked for a celebratory brunch we had in the office this week - I am happy to report that I made some new friends by sharing this gift from an old friend.