A Giant Key Shaped Challah!

Didn't bake the traditional key shaped challah yet? Not to worry, you can do it this week as well!

I'm so happy to share with you my first ever giant schlissel challah, the key shaped challah that we traditionally bake the very first shabbos after Passover. Yes of course, I do make key shaped challah every year, but over the years they have seemed to get smaller and smaller. This year, after baking 2 kilos of challah which did include 3 smallish keys, I had the nagging thought that I really wasn't giving it my all, and so friends, I got out two more kilos of flour on Friday morning, and I'm so happy I made the extra effort to really make this tradition the focus of our Friday night shabbos meal! Of course, now there is no going back, but that is just fine, looking forward to trying something new next year! And those tiny key shaped challahs? I gave two of them to neighbors who don't have this tradition, but certainly appreciated it! Keep on reading to see the challah before baking and a few tips I learned this time around! Hello, like you need a huge tray or a DIY tray to place the challah on your table, any guesses what mine is made from?

How To:

• This giant key shaped challah was made using my favorite challah recipe, and I used about 3/4 of the 2 kilo quantity, using the rest for rolls
• I have a 90 cm oven, (best thing ever!) which allows me to make such a huge challah, most folks will be limited by the size of their standard 70 cm oven tray
• One can absolutely not pick up this challah, it will break! It must be transferred by sliding it carefully off of the baking tray onto something you'd place on your shabbos table
• A piece of cardboard covered in wrapping paper would work just fine, though I ended up using my fiskars craft cutting board (certainly appropriate!) covered in wrapping paper with a border and contact paper leaves
• I made the aluminum foil ring from extra heavy foil, you can use a piece of an aluminum tray as well
• Once baked many of the gorgeous details are lost, so don't spend too much time on that!
• Look at before and after baking photos of others to see how to get the proportions looking great
• Enjoy, and don't expect perfection the first time!

Above: Before baking always looks amazing......

Above: After baking with results I'm proud of.

And friends, if you aren't able to bake schlissel challah this year, try to fit it in next year, it really is a wonderful tradition!