Challa For Rosh Hashanah: Bring In A Sweet New Year!

Guest blogger Cara McNulty is a momprenuer from Oregon. She has one daughter Avia who's almost two. She owns a baby moccasin business and social media marketing business. She loves to blog and spread the word about new lifestyle products on her account @hauteadventure.

Not everyone celebrates rosh Hashanah but everyone does celebrate the new year! I was raised in a Jewish home but didn't keep up with traditions after I moved out. This year I've decided to make some challah. If you've never tried challah before, it's some of the sweetest bread around. Cooking for rosh Hashanah consists of making and baking sweet foods to symbolize a healthy, sweet new year.

This morning Avia and I decided to have a picnic breakfast and look up some recipes. I packed our breakfast up in our new Bentgo lunch box and we sat under the birch tree in our front yard. Our Bengto was perfect for this occasion. It stacks nice and neat so I was able to carry our food and everything else in one trip! Avia currently has an obsession with forks and spoons. She played with the lunch box for about an hour before I had to pry it out of her hands to fill it with breakfast. This lunch box is perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Food on the go or even right here at home, Bentgo is the way to go!

We ended up finding this delicious challah recipe on chabad.org!

Dough Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. dry yeast
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 5 cups very warm water
• 5 large eggs
• 1¼ cups honey
• 1 cup oil (canola or light olive oil)
• 2 tbsp. salt
• Approximately 18 cups flour

For the egg wash:

1. 1 egg
2. 2 tbsp. honey
3. 1 tbsp. oil

Directions:

1. In a very large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 2 cups warm water and let sit about 15–20 minutes until thick and frothy.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and half the flour. Mix until a loose batter forms. Add the rest of the flour a couple of cups at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky.
3. Cover the dough with a wet towel or plastic wrap and put it in a warm place to rise for about 1½ hours. Dough should double in size.
4. Punch the dough down and let it rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 6 equal pieces.
5. Braid according to pictures and directions above. Place loaves on lightly greased pans and let rise for another 40 minutes.
6. Egg wash the loaves and bake at 375° F for approximately 45 minutes. Loaves should be golden brown and firm on the bottom.

Need More Lunchtime Inspiration?

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