Hey Everyone!

Once you become Bat Mitzvah, you are able to do the mitzvah of Hafrashos Challah (the separation of challah).

After making your favorite challah dough recipe, you put your hand on the dough and say:

“Baruch Atah Hashem Elokeinu Melech Haolam, Asher Kidishanu B’Mitzvosav Vitzivanu L’Hafresh Challah.”

Then you take a fistful of dough, and holding it up, say:

“Harei Zu Challah.”

Then it’s a special time for you to ask Hashem (G-d) for anything you need, or for anyone else.

Then just wrap up the piece of dough, and burn it. We burn it, because these days we don’t have a Beis Hamikdash, a holy temple.     When we did have a holy temple, we would give it to the Kohanim (priests).                                 

Here’s a delicious challah recipe:

Ingredients:

5 lbs.  high gluten flour (15-16 cups)                                 

3/4 to 1 cup sugar

5 cups lukewarm water

3 tablespoons fresh yeast OR 2 tablespoons dry yeast

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

2 tablespoons salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine yeast, sugar and water. Let yeast activate.

Pour 6 cups of flour into the mixture.

Mix briskly, then add the eggs, oil and salt.

Mix some more, then add the rest of the flour.

teddy challah

Knead the dough.

After the dough rises, do Hafrashos Challah and shape the dough.*

Let it rise a bit more, then egg them, and add whatever toppings you want.

Bake for aprox. 45 minutes.

* You can do whatever shape you want: a braid of any amount of strands, or an original shape.

Be creative and make sure to have fun!

Happy Baking!   

Tehila