Savoring Victory: Joan's Challah Recipe

Challah Recipe Winner in Blind Taste Test

Jan 31, 2024

Today's post is a stroll down memory lane as I share the inaugural community recipe featured on the Jewish Food Hero blog back in 2018.

"Community Recipes" series had a heartfelt purpose. Exploring the personal recipes of others not only brought me joy but made me feel less alone - a sense of connection and warmth. In a digital landscape saturated with impeccably polished professional recipes, there's something uniquely special about entering the kitchen of a real person and learning one of their cherished recipes.

This series is driven by the belief that the stories and flavors of everyday individuals possess a distinct magic. Amidst the abundance of culinary expertise available, there's beauty in embracing the genuine, unfiltered experience of someone's treasured recipe. "Community Recipes" aims to foster togetherness, making cooking not just about the final dish but also about shared narratives and the warmth that accompanies them. It's a celebration of the authentic, the personal, and the joy that comes from knowing you're not alone in the world—a sentiment deeply resonant within our community.

While I acknowledge that recipes may not top the list of urgent issues in our world today, I firmly believe that food fosters connections. For many of us, reading recipes and preparing food is profoundly comforting. The stories behind recipes offer moments of connection, allowing us to create nourishing dishes for ourselves and our loved ones, providing moments of pleasure and nourishment.

If you have a recipe and the inclination to share it with our community, please reach out to me, and we can collaborate to feature your recipe in the newsletter. Sharing recipes and food is one of the most basic ways to show care and love to others, embodying the essence of what we do here—sharing goodness!

Join me in celebrating the meaningful connections we can create, one shared recipe at a time.

About Joan

Meet Joan Laguatan, a Filipina-Jewish mom and dedicated real estate broker. She was born in the Philippines and is now a proud resident of San Francisco with her husband and their children. Having converted to Judaism in 2009, Joan holds dear the principle of Chesed.

"Chesed" is a Hebrew word that translates to "loving-kindness" or "benevolence." In Jewish tradition, Chesed is one of the central values and virtues, often associated with acts of kindness, compassion, and generosity. It is considered one of the ten attributes through which God interacts with the world, known as the "Ten Sefirot" in Kabbalistic teachings.

Chesed emphasizes the importance of showing love and compassion to others without expecting anything in return. It involves acts of kindness, charity, and goodwill towards fellow human beings, reflecting a genuine concern for the well-being of others. Practicing Chesed is seen as a way of emulating the benevolence of God and creating a more harmonious and compassionate society.

In Jewish ethical teachings, Chesed is often linked to other virtues such as Tzedakah (charity), Gemilut Chasadim (acts of loving-kindness), and Rachamim (mercy). The concept of Chesed underscores the idea that individuals should actively seek opportunities to bring goodness and kindness into the world, fostering positive relationships and contributing to the betterment of the community.

Joan’s Favorite Shabbat Recipe is Challah

Her favorite food to make for Shabbat is challah. That’s why she created a soft, fluffy and delicious vegan challah recipe. One time her family hosted a blind taste test with a group of friends. The taste test compared her vegan eggless challah to one with eggs and, much to their surprise, everyone preferred Joan’s vegan challah!

Every Shabbat, Joan makes two four-strand braided challah loaves. On Sunday mornings, Joan’s her husband uses the challah leftovers to make decadent cinnamon Challah french toast breakfasts for their children.

Making a four strand braid is not as complicated as you might think! And it looks really stunning. To try for yourself, take a look at this easy to follow YouTube tutorial.

For this recipe, Joan uses the following special ingredients:

unbleached all purpose flour certified 100 percent organic by Quality Assurance International (QAI) and approved organic by the USDA and it is never bleached and never bromated.

this ultra fine baker’s sugar, a key ingredient to get the desired texture of the Challah. Ultrafine baker sugar is made especially for baking so it mixes, blends and melts more evenly.

good kosher salt is always necessary in the kitchen. This special kosher salt is lovely tasting and really adds a new taste dimension to Challah.

Useful tools you need to make this Challah:

a dough scraper is a useful tool to have around when working with sticky dough, to help you avoid adding too much extra flour and ending up with a tough, dry challah.

a silpat silicone mat to help your Challah cook evenly and also it means that you do not need to grease up your baking sheet.

Feeding Women of the Bible, Feeding Ourselves

Joan’s recipe is published in the Feeding Women of the Bible, Feeding Ourselves Cookbook.

Joan’s Vegan Challah Recipe

This vegan challah is soft, fluffy and delicious.

Yield: 2 large loaves

Tools:

Large prep bowl
Dough scraper
Silpat or other non-stick silicone mat for even baking
Dry measuring cup (not liquid measuring cup for flour)
Baking tray
Mixing spoon or rubber spatula

Ingredients:

8 cups (1 kg) unbleached all purpose flour (use last cup towards kneading dough and lightly flouring surface only as needed)
3/4 cup (180 ml) organic canola oil (or vegetable oil)
1 cup (200 g) ultrafine baker’s sugar
2.5 cups (625 ml) warm water
1.5 tablespoons (27g) salt
3 packets (3 Tbsp or 25 g) yeast
Sweet soy milk

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
In a large bowl, combine sugar, water, yeast, and oil.
Stir and allow the yeast to work and bubble for 10 minutes.
Add salt, stir and add 7 cups of flour.
Stir and empty the contents of the mixing bowl onto a clean, lightly floured surface
Knead the dough for 10 minutes, gradually adding flour from the eighth cup only as needed to make less sticky - you will likely not need to add the entire cup, so go gently!
Lightly oil a deep bowl and put the dough in it, turning to grease on all sides.
Cover the bowl with a damp cloth.
Allow to rise for about two hours or until doubled in bulk.
Punch down and allow the dough to rise a second time, for about another hour.
Remove the dough from the bowl and place onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into eight equal parts and roll them into large strands.
Take four strands and braid them together to make challah loaf. Tip: watch an online tutorial to show you the technique!
Repeat step 12 for the remaining four strands.
Allow your braided challah loaves to to rise for 20-30 minutes until pillow-y, before putting in preheated oven.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Take challah out of the oven after 20 minutes and baste with sweet soy milk, then put back into the oven for an additional 10 minutes until golden brown.

Do you have a special recipe you'd love to share with our community? I want to feature it in an upcoming newsletter! Reach out, and let's collaborate to highlight your recipe. Your contribution means a lot to me, and I can't wait to showcase the goodness you bring to the table (pun intended).

I believe that sharing recipes and food isn't just about ingredients – it's a heartfelt expression of care and love. Join me in spreading the joy of good food and the warmth of shared goodness. Let's make this newsletter a heartfelt hub of community recipes!

Am Yisrael Chai

Kenden

P.S. Since publishing this recipe, I got a few emails from readers telling me that this recipe is not “healthy”. I hear you and many many people are emotionally attached to Challah bread on Shabbat and therefore enjoying Challah in moderation is healthy for them! Remember - eating foods in moderation is the key to health and lifelone weight management.

Share this Challah Recipe with someone you love!