A CHALLAH MEDITATION

lalalala… fingers drumming…

Yay! You’re still with me! Ok, before we get baking, let’s go deeper and explore the

“Kabbalah of Challah.”

BAKE BREAD, CHANGE THE WORLD

Crafting the bread that we call challah can be more than an act of baking. It can become a ritual with the magical bonding power to transcend time and space. When I knead my dough, I feel my grandmother’s hands on my hands. I visualize all the hands of all the Jewish people around the world who are kneading their challot at the same time that I’m kneading mine. I feel their hands working the dough with me and I know that I’m a link in a vast chain connecting past, present, and future. Even though I am alone in my kitchen, I am part of a community.

Kinetic Meditation 

We tend to think of meditation as a passive activity in which the mind and spirit travel, while the body remains in a state of stillness. There may be an object on which to focus, such as a candle. Sometimes a mantra is vocalized, and its repetition helps to carry the traveler to other planes of consciousness.

But, meditation does not have to be passive, and a mantra can just as easily be physical as it can be vocal. Think of the image of an observant Jew deep in prayer. The accoutrements of prayer – the kippah (skull cap) on the head, the tallit (prayer shawl with fringes) and t’fillin (phylacteries) that are wrapped around the body – these material objects are, themselves, a focal point. They help to create an inner space where the meditative state can be more easily reached. The davener (a person praying formalized prayers) is most likely holding a prayer book and vocalizing the words very softly. You may also notice quite a bit of rhythmic movement – rocking, bowing, bending at the knees and straightening up again – this type of praying is more than just talking to THE NAME. It’s a kinetic meditation in an altered state of consciousness, a place where one can meet with, connect with, and experience a two-way conversation with the Divine.

In our challah meditation, we will be using both movement and voice to transport ourselves to other realms, and at the same time we will be producing food for the physical body. Spiritual energy works like a good germ—The energies you encounter and absorb while visiting those realms will be infused into the bread you bake. The people who eat the bread will be filled with the energy it contains and be subtly, perhaps subconsciously, elevated by it. This energy, this holiness that now flows through them, will radiate from their being and be absorbed by all the other people with whom they come into contact..

In this “pay it forward” way, one loaf of bread can change the world.

Part two

BEFORE THE BEGINNING

A Link in the Chain

The Gathering

Before something can be created, there needs to be a plan, a blueprint. This holds true whether you’re creating a loaf of bread, a chair, or a universe.

For a deeper exploration of this topic, I invite you to check out my post, Challah as a Representation of Creation before going forward, because I think it will enhance your experience of the meditation.

But for now, we’re going to put aside creating universes and just create challah. We need a recipe, we need ingredients, and we need tools.

So, let’s get started and get the practical stuff sorted so that we can move on to more esoteric matters.

First, let’s gather our equipment.

·       You will need a large, smooth counter that’s been scrubbed absolutely clean.

·       You will also need one large and one medium mixing bowl.

·       Grab a big wooden spoon, if you’ve got one, or any big spoon if you don’t.

·       You’ll also need some measuring cups and measuring spoons.

·       A bench knife is handy, if you’ve got one.

·      A kitchen scale, if you have one. *

·       You’re also going to need a pastry brush.

* I always use a kitchen scale so that when I divide my dough the measurement is exact. That’s just me. If you haven’t got a scale, divide the dough by eye. It will be fine. You shouldn’t worry.

Now, set out your ingredients:

I pre-measure everything and have it all ready to go on my workbench. This way I don’t have to interrupt my flow and my focus in order to find and measure ingredients as I go along.

     All-Purpose flour: between 6 and 7 cups.

I leave the flour jar on the side of my workbench, in case I need more for dusting.

I recommend using a flour that is unbleached and unbromated. Most breads call for bread flour, which is higher in protein and gluten, but all-purpose flour works great for challah. I like King Arthur brand, but there are other good brands out there. And, although it makes for a heavier loaf, you can add some whole wheat flour if you’d like to do so. King Arthur makes a white whole wheat that has the health advantages of the whole grains, but is finer and lighter in texture than traditional whole wheat flour, if you want to go that route.

      Water: 1 ½ cups of fresh, cold or room temperature water

      Dry Active Yeast: 2 Tablespoons

I buy active dry yeast by the jar and store it in the fridge. It’s easier to measure from the jar than to have to open those little packets.

Do not use the instant, rapid rise stuff.

If you can find cubes of fresh yeast at your market, that’s a great option, but be sure to check the expiration date. If you’re using fresh yeast, you’ll need 1.25 ounces.

      Sugar: 2/3 cup (plus a couple of pinches)

Organic is nice, but ordinary white granulated sugar will do fine. I use part honey during the High Holy Days season, but it is not an even-swap substitution. You can click here for the recipe for this special challah.

Oil: 1/3 cup

Here’s where I get up on my soapbox to preach… Vegetable oils are not good for you. Canola is a Monsanto-developed, GMO product invented in Canada (can-ola) from rapeseed, as a cheap-to-manufacture cooking oil. It is highly refined and often partially hydrogenated to increase stability. Canola oil has other uses as well. It makes a good fuel alternative to diesel and its component of items made with plasticizers, such as tires. I never use it. I use only cold-pressed fruit and nut oils. I tend to use a lot of olive oil in cooking, but it’s not a good choice here because it has too strong a flavor. Try sunflower, organic grape seed, avocado, etc. I use any one of them, depending upon what’s on hand (and what’s on sale!).

       Eggs: 5 large eggs

Happy hens produce happy eggs. I like to know that I am not contributing to animal misery. My brother and his husband used to raise chickens for eggs. They are intelligent, creative, and very entertaining critters (I mean the chickens, not the brothers) who answer to their names. I choose eggs from chickens that spend their lives running about outdoors and roosting in trees. They can be a lot more expensive than eggs from tortured birds. I am far from rich, but this is one of the places where I splurge. I just can’t support that industry. Organically fed is good, but less critical to me than the quality of their chicken lives. I don’t worry about the ones labeled “vegetarian.” Free roaming chickens are not vegetarians. They peck at bugs.

       Salt: 2 ¾ teaspoons of good old Kosher salt

Optional:

      Turmeric: about ¾ teaspoon

It’s not essential, and you probably won’t find it in most other challah recipes, but turmeric adds a lovely golden color to the bread and has anti-inflammatory, health-giving properties, as well.

     Seeds:

Some folks love ‘em, some hate ‘em, and some will get really sick and stop breathing from them, so it’s up to your discretion. Poppy or sesame are the most traditional. I like to go for the gusto in life, so I use both. I sometimes also add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and/or fennel seeds to the mix. I’ve even been known to save up the seeds that collect in the bottom of a bag of everything bagels, and sprinkle them on top. Divine!

Now that we have everything in place, we are ready to Begin…