I spent two years living in Eretz Yisroel and it was one of the best times of my life. I spent time travelling all over the country, working in a variety of jobs, living on a kibbutz, and studying in yeshiva. Throughout my time there, I grew quite used to being able to get fresh, delicious pita and houmous every day. Upon my arrival back in Canada, I spent much time looking for pita, similar to those that I ate in Israel. After having no luck buying good pita, I tried a large number of recipes, trying my best to replicate the fantastic taste and fluffy texture of those I had enjoyed so much in Ha’Aretz. After years of searching and experimenting I’ve come fairly close. The only difference between the pita I make now, and those in Israel, is the way they’re cooked. In Israel they have specialized ovens, whereas I have only a toaster oven. So, while they’re not exactly the same as the pita from Israel, they’re pretty darn close.

Ingredients:
1 Packet of Yeast(2 1/4 tsp)
1 Tbsp Honey
2 Cups Warm Water
4 Cups Flour
1 tsp Salt

Directions:
1. Combine yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and honey. Let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes or until proofed
2. In a large bowl mix 3 cups flour with 1 tsp salt. Add yeast mixture
3. Add last cup of flour and remaining cup and a half of warm water
4. Knead for 5 minutes. Dough should be somewhat sticky
5. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for an hour and a half in a warm, draft-free place
6. Punch down dough and divide into 12 equal portions. Cover with a teatowel and let rest for 10 minutes
7. On a lightly floured surface roll dough portions into 5-6 inch surface
8. Cover all dough when you’re not working with it.
9. When finished rolling dough and it’s been covered, let it rest for another 30 minutes.
10. With your oven rack on the bottom shelf, preheat oven to 450F. Let your baking sheet preheat as well.
11. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray and place pita on the sheet, and then bake for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them!
12. Cool on cooling racks after they’re finished. Once they’ve cooled down for a few minutes, get yourself some good quality houmous and enjoy!

~ Recipe submitted by Moishe Callow of Stay At Home Tatte

This recipe makes 2 medium sized challahs and 2 large rolls.

Put the following liquid ingredients into bread machine pan:
1 and 1/2 cups warm water
a tiny bit more than 1/2 cup oil
1/3 cup egg beaters (or 1 egg)

Put the following dry ingredients into the bread machine pan (except for yeast):
6 cups white flour
a little over 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt

Use finger to form a well (little hole) in the flour and pour in yeast (2 pkgs. of active dry yeast - rapid rise). Make sure that the yeast does NOT touch any liquid.
Close the lid of the bread machine and select the “Dough/Pasta” setting. Press “Start.” About 10 minutes into the kneading cycle, open the lid and scrape the dough from the sides of the pan into the dough so that all of the flour in kneaded in. Also, at this point you can see if you need to add a bit more flour (if the dough is too watery) or a bit more water (if the dough is too dry). When the dough is done rising (takes about an hour and 1/2), shape the challah and let it rise 30 more minutes. Then bake for about 30 minutes on 350 degrees.

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

It is no wonder the public often thinks there is no way to enjoy a delicious slice of spelt challah or bread, as it always comes brick-heavy in stores: Mine is light and delicious, and I hope you make it before the austerity week sets in!

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons active dry yeast
4 cups warm water
1/2 cup honey, sugar or sucanat
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
12 cups spelt flour

Topping:
1 egg, beaten with 1/4 cup water
Sesame or poppy seeds (optional)

Instructions:
Mix the yeast, water and honey or sugar in a big bowl, and let the mixture bubble for about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, oil and salt, and beat. Add the flour, and mix thoroughly. Transfer the mixture to a lightly-floured flat working surface, and knead for about 15 minutes, turning the dough a quarter of a turn every 2-3 minutes and punching it down often to eliminate any air pockets (or transfer the mixture to the bowl of a dough maker. Set for 10 minutes of kneading). Transfer the kneaded dough into a big mixing bowl (remember, it will expand). Sprinkle flour all around the dough. Let rise, covered with a cloth, in a warm draft-free area for 2 hours.
Shape the Challah: divide the dough into 4 pieces. Divide each piece into thirds and roll each third into a long thin rope. Pinch the 3 ropes together at one end to hold them in place. Braid, and place the braid on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Place the loaves well apart in the pan (you might need more than a pan: Bake one at a time). Brush each loaf with the egg-and-water mixture, and top with seeds if desired. Bake in a preheated 350*F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Raisin Challah: Served on Rosh Hashanah. Add two cups of raisins to the dough, shape it into 4 round loaves (for each loaf, make a long thin rope, and roll it into a coil)

~ Recipe submitted by Lévana Kirschenbaum of www.levanacooks.com

Date nut bread, sounds dead-good-for-you-serious, doesn’t it? That is until you taste it. Plump and moist and chock full of goodies. I make it with spelt flour too, so it’s a win-win.

Ingredients:
1 cup diced dates, packed
1 cup dark or golden raisins
2 1/2 cups flour, all purpose, whole wheat pastry or spelt (as always, spelt is my favorite)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup agave syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup hot strong tea, decaf ok

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Mix the first set of ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the second set of ingredients in another bowl. Combine both mixtures, making sure not to overmix. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan, or 6-cup loaf pan, and bake 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Muffins: Pour the batter into greased muffin molds (about 12 medium) and bake 30 minutes

~ Recipe submitted by Lévana Kirschenbaum of www.levanacooks.com

(Can use a Bread machine for mixing, kneading, and rising ONLY)

***Adapted from challah recipe in the Kosher by Design cookbook on page 16***

In bread machine pan, put in wet ingredients first:

1 and 2/3 cups warm/hottish water
2 and 1/2 eggs (or a little less than 1 cup egg substitute)
A little over 1/2 cup canola oil

Put in dry ingredients next (except for yeast):

6 1/2 cups whole spelt flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 and 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
Make a shallow well in the dry ingredients and put in 2 packages of rapid rise yeast.

Turn on your bread machine and set it to the Dough/Pasta (1 and 1/2 hour) cycle where it mixes, kneads, and lets your dough rise.

Shape the challahs (makes 4 small challahs) and let them rise for 30 minutes.
Baste them with egg and bake for 30 minutes on 350.

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

If you are a frequent visitor of this site then you have noticed multiple recipes from my friend Mira Martinez. She is an amazing cook who has introduced me to some great recipes that I might not have tried otherwise. (coconut milk chicken and quinoa salad are just two of the many unique dishes that I sampled at her shabbat table!) Regardless of whether she is having a mexican themed meal or trying indian cuisine, her challah is always the same recipe and it’s a classic. It is slightly sweet with a soft cake like texture and it’s been the death of many of my diets.

She makes it 3 ways, as long challah, as rolls, and sometimes as breakaway challah by forming rolls and baking them in a bundt pan. She got the recipe from her friend Yocheved Freeman who was kind enough to let us repost it here on KITK. Trust me when I say, this is going to be a staple at your future Shabbat meals.

Ingredients:
5 Tbs. yeast
5 c. warm water
3 Tbs. sugar
Combine and let sit 10-15 min. or until it bubbles.
5 eggs
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
3 scant Tbs. salt
5 lb. + 1 c. high-gluten flour (comes in a 6-lb. bag)

Directions:
Combine the 5 Tbs. yeast, 5 c. warm water and 3 Tbs. sugar and let sit 10-15 min. or until it bubbles.
Then add the 5 eggs, 1 1/2 c. sugar, 1 c. oil, 3 scant Tbs. salt, 5 lb. + 1 c. high-gluten flour (comes in a 6-lb. bag) Then Knead or mix with bread mixer. After cover with a towel and let rise 2-3 hours, punching down from time to time. Shape loaves and after shaping the loaves, you should brush them with a beaten egg. Once they are shaped, bake at ‘380 for 17 minutes then switch trays between top and bottom racks and turn them around. Lower heat to 350 and bake an additional 9-10 min.

~ This is Yocheved Freeman’s recipe, submitted by Mira Martinez.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Flour
3 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Water
Sugar and Cinnamon OR Powdered Sugar
Frying Pan with 1/2 inch of oil in bottom

Directions:

1.Mix the first four ingredients together and let sit for a few minutes.
2. Pull off donut-hole sized balls and flatten them to roughly the size of a donut. (Use a flour dusted surface)
3. Cut a hole from the middle. You can use a knife or a pop bottle lid. (If this is not working out just make rip off chunks and make them without holes)
4. Heat the oil in the frying pan and place the donuts into it. They will start swelling almost immediately.
5. Once the donut has turned slightly brown on the bottom flip it over to the other side to brown.
6. Remove from oil, pat with a paper towel if very greasy, and sprinkle sugar/cinnamon or powdered sugar on it!
7. Eat, get fat, and be happy.

~ Recipe submitted by Kseniya found on, familyactivityideas

Ingredients:

Toasted sliced bread
olive oil
tomatos
white onions
salt, pepper & oregano to taste

Directions:

Dice the tomatoes and onions. Mix together with some olive oil. Add the salt, pepper and oregano. Then place small amounts on top of the toasted sliced bread.

~ Recipe submitted by Matteo Bistrussu

(recipe makes 9 of these Challahs):

5 lb bag bread flour
7 eggs or equivalent in Egg Beaters
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
4 packets active yeast (NOT rapid rise)
2 Tbsp sugar
4 cups warm-hottish water
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 cups canola oil

Dissolve yeast in water and 2 tbsp sugar. Let sit for 10 mins until it bubbles.
Add sugars, salt, and 1/2 of the flour.
Mix.
Add eggs & oil.
Slowly stir in rest of flour.
Mix and knead until elastic (slightly sticky).
Spray 2 aluminum pans with PAM spray.
Split dough into 2 and let rise w/a damp towel over each pan in an oven set to “warm” with a small pan of hot water directly underneath (shelf under) the dough pans.
Leave in for 2 hours.
Punch dough down in each pan.
Let sit for 15 mins. Say bracha and take Challah.
Shape into 9 pull-apart (6 balls) Challahs.
Let rise for 30 mins.
Baste with egg.
Bake on 350 for 40 mins (basting with egg again after first 20 minutes).
Let them cool either upside down or on their sides.
Can freeze the ones you aren’t using and then defrost in a 200 degree oven.

Good luck!

*adapted from a few different friends’ recipes and some of my own ideas*

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

slice the french bread lengthwise, then combine some olive oil, grated or crushed garlic and dried oregano using as much of each as you like then pour onto the bread using a spoon for help getting into all the edges sprinkle some salt over the top, then place it on the grill cut side down or if using your oven just bake on 350 till slightly crispy

(this can also be baked in the oven)

~ Esty Adler Wolbe