It started as a lark. Our House Church was planning its Christmas party and the host asked everyone whether December 8 or 9 worked better. I replied that the only thing on my calendar for the eighth was “Hanukkah begins.”
“Maybe I’ll bring Challah bread,” I joked.
Then I thought, why not? Or why not any other traditional Hanukkah food, for that matter? Online recipes can be found with a few clicks of a mouse. Surely, they wouldn’t all require only Kosher ingredients, and even if they did… we’re not Kosher. We’re not even Jewish.
Among the most common Hanukkah dishes are brisket (which I’ve never made), latkes (fried potato pancakes, a version of which I’ve made regularly for years and which my family loves. The oil they’re fried in is supposedly in remembrance of Hanukkah lamp oil. They’re served with apple sauce and/or sour cream.).
Sufganiyot (pronounced soof-gone-YOT) is a deep-fried jelly doughnut. (Oh, the calories!)
Matzo ball soup is a hot, tasty staple at many Jewish celebrations. The matzo balls are dumplings typically made from matzo meal, which is ground up matzo bread. That sounded like way too much work for me.
I looked at a few recipes and decided Challah (pronounced haa’luh) bread probably was the simplest for me to try, especially since I have a mixer that can handle the kneading. It turned out beautifully and was a hit with our friends. I’ll share the recipe later. First, more details about what this celebration represents.
Hanukkah commemorates events in Judea, about 160 years before Jesus was born, when the Syrian king Antiochus ordered the Jews to abandon the Torah and publicly worship the Greek gods. Of course, this went directly against God’s commandment to have no other gods besides Him.
A rebellion rose up, led by Judas Maccabeus. The Syrians had desecrated the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, but the small army of only forty “Maccabees” managed to win the battle and retake the temple. They then commenced cleansing and rededicating the temple in a ceremony requiring eight days to complete. But according to the Talmud, they found enough consecrated oil to re-light the menorah for only one day. Miraculously, it remained lit for eight days.
Although Hanukkah is a minor Jewish holiday compared to Passover, Yom Kippur, and Rosh Hashanah, it has become the most well-known to us Gentiles, probably because of its proximity to Christmas. In fact, some modern Jews have adopted gift-giving and other Christmas-like traditions to their Hanukkah celebrations. On a related note, in 2024, Hanukkah will begin on Christmas Day.
Here’s the Challah recipe I tried:
1 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1large egg yolk (reserve the white for the egg wash)
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
Dissolve the yeast in water with a pinch of sugar. Mix the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, yolk, and oil. Mix to form dough. Knead 6 to 8 minutes. Let the dough rise until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Divide the dough into thirds and roll into 16-inch long ropes. Braid the ropes, pinching together at both ends and tucking under to form a loaf. Lay challah on a greased cookie sheet. Let rise about 1 hour. Brush the challah with egg white whisked together with a tablespoon of water. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 F. Cool the challah. Slice and eat.
Chag Sameach! Happy Hanukkah!
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| My Challah Bread |
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