Hi Everyone,
I am not a daily bread eater but when it comes to feasts, festivals, and holidays, count me in for celebration bread!
Celebration bread is enriched bread that’s made with ingredients such as milk, butter, eggs, spices, fruits, nuts, citrus zest and sometimes herbs. It is called celebration bread because these types of breads are usually made on special occasions, such as Easter that was celebrated last weekend. In my last column, Cross Buns 2.0 (by the way, those are considered celebration bread) I explained how each year I am always tweaking my Cross Buns recipe, well, each year at Easter, I am always making a different type of celebration or traditional Easter Bread from around the world. This year, using Challah as a base, I adjusted the quantity of ingredients and added cinnamon and raisins to make raisin loaves.
Challah (sometimes called egg bread) is a special bread in Jewish cuisine; it is a traditional Sabbath bread and it’s typically eaten on Jewish holidays too. Rich with eggs and sweetened with honey or sugar, it is the perfect base for a celebration bread. I made raisin loaves, but the recipe can be adapted to take on different flavours by using other spices such as cardamom or aniseed, dried fruits like cranberries or apricots and herbs such as rosemary or thyme. Of course, you can add finely chopped nuts too. With Challah’s signature look from braiding the dough and the high-gloss finish from the egg wash, this bread is a stunner.