OIL
EGGS
Oil adds smoothness and richness to the dough. Challah is a special bread, so we always use some oil (or other fat, like butter) to make it extra soft and flavorful.
Even though that oil keeps wanting to separate, we really want it to blend in nicely to make this dough delicious and soft.
Have you noticed that when you pour oil into a jar of dressing, the oil always rises up to the top? You have to shake that jar very hard to get the oil to mix with the other ingredients. And even then, as soon as you walk away, there goes the oil—back to the top of the jar again! The Jewish people are compared to oil. Wherever we go in the world, we hold onto our special mitzvot that keep us distinct and separate. We always add lots of flavor and richness to every place we live in, but only when we stay like "oil," true to ourselves, do we maintain that which makes us unique.
Eggs can do it! They are up to the task! Eggs are the “binders.” They bring everything together and also add lots of flavor and richness to the challah. We can be “connectors” too!
DID YOU KNOW? BLOOD IS NOT KOSHER! IF AN EGG HAS EVEN ONE DROP OF BLOOD, WE DON'T WANT IT IN OUR CHALLAH. BE SURE TO CHECK EACH EGG FOR BLOOD SPOTS BEFORE YOU DROP IT IN THE CHALLAH DOUGH. IF THE EGG HAS BLOOD, DISCARD IT AND USE A DIFFERENT EGG.
There is so much that we all share. When we remember that, it’s easy to bring everyone together. When all the ingredients blend, it creates the magic that is challah.
Sometimes we may think that we want to be like everyone else, but it’s those things that make us stand apart that make us special and add a flavor to the world that only we can bring! So, celebrate your uniqueness, as a one-of-a-kind human being! By being you, you will make the world a much better place.
WHAT KIND OF OIL? Most of my sweet challah recipes call for a flavorless oil, like canola oil. Grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil are all good replacement choices for canola oil. Butter (or a pareve substitute, like Earth Balance or margarine) makes for a very decadent challah, and we have recipes with that in this book too. When the recipe is for a savory challah, it will often call for extra virgin olive oil.
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