Nothing compares to the smell of freshly baked bread. The sweet yeasty smell from this challa bread brings back many wonderful memories of my mom baking as I grew up.

My mom first started baking challah bread while living in Israel. Israelies eat it each week at their three Sabbath meals. This sweet loaf commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after the exodus from Egypt.

She was given this recipe by a dear friend in Minnesota when I was young and has been baking it ever since.

Thursdays have become bread making day. EJ mixes the bread with Grandma in the morning, punches it down after lunch, and it's ready to be baked shortly thereafter. This last week EJ got her own dough to make into a little loaf.


Sponge for 5 minutes:
6 T yeast
3 cup warm water

Mix in large bowl:
1 1/2 cups honey
9 eggs
3/4 cup oil

Add with yeast water to honey mixture:
12 cups flour
2 T salt

Knead. Add more flour until the dough can be handled well. Let rise.

flour your hands

and knead

and knead

Punch down and divide in 3 equal parts. Divide each part into thirds and roll out to 3 equal rolls.

punch the dough

ready to be braided

Braid* and brush with egg and bit of milk. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and let rise in pan just a little.

sprinkle on the sesame seeds

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Makes 3 loaves.

grandma's loaf

ej"s loaf

*Make a figure 8 out of your braid with the ends underneath in middle. Then no ends show.