The Great Challah Comeback
A Chabotville read-along picture book.
Mrs. Chabot's Kitchen: The Great Challah Comeback!
Shalom, friends! I'm Mrs. Chabot.
Tonight is Shabbat, and the whole neighborhood is coming for Shabbat dinner.
Ooh! What's that? It smells so yummy!
That's the challah we baked this morning, cooling by the window.
Noodle ate the challah!
Every last crumb!
Is Noodle in trouble?
No, sweetheart. Noodle just smelled something good. Nobody is in trouble.
But bread isn't food for dogs, and raw dough is never okay for them.
And next time, we'll keep the food covered, and up high!
That's all right. There's still time before Shabbat. We'll make it again, together!
Step one: knead the dough. Push, fold, and turn.
Push, fold, and turn. Brick by brick! I mean, bit by bit!
Step two: before we shape the dough, we separate challah.
Today, we take off a small piece, and we don't eat it. It reminds us that what we have isn't only for us.
This is challah.
A grown-up wraps it in foil, and burns it in the oven. Nobody eats it, not even Noodle!
Step three: the braid! Roll three long ropes, and pinch the tops together.
Right over the middle. Left over the middle. It's like a dance!
Step four: brush on egg, for a golden shine.
And sesame seeds on top!
Remember: only grown-ups use the oven.
Look! Noodle is waiting so nicely!
Good boy, Noodle. And this time, the challah cools covered, and up high.
Ooh! What is Shabbat, anyway?
Hashem made the world in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested.
So every week, Shabbat is a special day of rest. It starts on Friday, just before sundown, and ends on Saturday night, when the stars come out.
Before sunset on Friday, women and girls light the Shabbat candles. Tonight, I lit two.
On the table, we put two challahs, under a cover.
On Shabbat, we take a break from work, and from phones and screens.
So there's more time for family, friends, and stories!
Thank you for baking with me, my bakers. Bye, Noodle!
Shabbat Shalom!
Can you remember?
Who gobbled up the challah cooling by the window?
How many long ropes do we braid?
When does Shabbat start?
You did it!
Knead it, separate challah, braid it, and brush on egg.
Next time you bake challah, ask a grown-up to help!
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Made with love by a Nana and her grandkids, with help from the bots of Botsville USA.
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