I’m so happy to share with you that I have completed my key shaped challah baking (an ashkenazic Jewish custom called in yiddish schlissel challah) a full day ahead of time which means there is time to share it with you! Of course that is only because I’m in Israel and Thursday, today, was Isru chag, meaning not a Yom Tov, and time to get cooking for shabbos after turning the kitchen back over to its usual self. As you may know, key shaped challahs are baked the very first shabbos after Pesach, though if you don’t have time to make an actual key shape you can always put a key in the pan, which many do, and yes it is surely more simple, but not nearly as delightful.
I had been saving a photo on my desk top of a key shaped challah that I’d taken a screen shot of from one of Tamar Ansch’s challah videos (though I’m not sure whose idea this was exactly sorry about that!) and fortunately I found the photo, though didn’t have the exact supplies, so I winged it, and it worked out! So presenting a very simple key shaped challah made with twelve rolls, that actually looks like a key after baking, which is not always so simple! Unfortunately this key is too fragile and too large to actually fit into my freezer, so my family will have to enjoy it in a slightly less fresh state, but so it goes, this key shaped challah business is not simple because the shape can easily break apart at the neck, yikes! Okay, lets take a closer look at how this challah came together, and I’ll also provide you to links of my many previous efforts!
The challah just barely fits onto our challah board, phew, which is where it is sitting right now, wrapped up of course, because it cannot be picked up, but rather slid off the baking tray onto the challah board oh so carefully! Ah yes, and then there was the scary part of removing the foil tray, yikes, next time I’ll cut out the bottom.
How To:
- I used my all time favorite challah recipe here
- I used a long aluminum cake tin for the lower part, with an insert for the little bit of the key, and used another piece to keep the hole of the key intact. the original version of this used a round aluminum bundt pan for the top part, but as you can see, with my technique the top still stayed round.
- I made twelve rolls by forming a knot, and used roughly half of the total dough made with 2 kilos
- the other keys in the photo ended up being gifted to friends on the spot, but I did put toothpicks around the neck area for stability, and tied them to a piece of white cardboard with a beautiful ribbon before wrapping in foil, and I do hope the husbands that transported them got them home in 1 piece, hmmm, have not yet heard!
- I mentioned this above, but do not under any circumstance try to lift the big challah up, it will break, it must be slid from one surface to another!
They always look the best before baking, but this 12 roll technique is actually quite successful!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little peek into what is going on at CJM central today, and for a look at my attempts previous years, you can take a look here, and great looking whole wheat here, and here and here.
Enjoy and good shabbos!
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