Key shaped challah (shlissel challah)

Shlissel challah is a key-shaped bread prepared by Ashkenazi Jews for the first Shabbat after Passover. The challah may be shaped as a key (shlüssel in German), or have actual keys baked inside it. Some communities, like the Hasidic dynasty of Bobov, top their challah with a key-shape decoration, made from either a small piece of dough or from either poppy seed or sesame seed.

Regardless of version or shape, the purpose of the key shaped challah is the same: to bring the blessing of prosperity and wealth upon the house. It is known as a segulah (charm in Hebrew) for parnasah (prosperity in Hebrew). The idea behind this once-a-year pastry is that God holds the key to our prosperity.

Why bake the shlissel challah on this specific shabbat?

The reason lies in the belief that the Sons of Israel, after feeding on the manna provided by God during their 40-year voyage to the Land of Canaan, had to start working for their own food, their own parnasah, right after Passover.

The first mention of Shlissel challah is in a book by Polish 18th century Rabbi Avraham Yehoshua Heshel of Apt (the great-great grandfather and namesake of famous American rabbinical leader Abraham Joshua Heschel,) but the origin could have been any of several similar customs from around the world.

First, there are the European Easter breads, sometimes called pasca or paska bread (that’s also the word for Easter in some European languages, notice the similarity to the word Pesach (Passover) in Hebrew.) Some breads were decorated with a cross on top or were braided in a shape of a cross. Some, according to an article by Shalom Alfassa, were embossed with a shape of a cross on top using a key, as many keys were in a shape of a cross.

Cross shaped braided breads indeed look in someway similar to the shlissel challah, and the fact that they’re served on Easter, which is very close to the week after Passover, when the shlissel challah is baked, may suggest an influence. There are many examples of Jews drawing inspiration from their Christian neighbors, including that of another Easter bread, this one braided around a hard boiled eggs which Jews have adopted for the holiday of Purim. Moroccan Jews make the Ojos De Haman, a challah baked around hard boiled eggs, that symbolize Haman’s eyes. Greek and Turkish Jews prepare Folares, a hard boiled egg wrapped in strips of sweet dough, which represent Haman’s feet (or, according to another version, Haman in prison).

The shlissel challah version with the keys baked inside the dough reminds me of a couple of other traditions.

One comes from the Jewish communities of Tunisia and Djerba. At the first day of the month of Nissan, 15 days before Passover and a month before the shlissel challah, Tunisian Jews perform the Bseesa ceremony at home. Toasted ground wheat or barley grains are mixed in a bowl with almonds and nuts, dates and sugar, and then oil is added and the whole mixture is mixed using the house key, as a charm for good wealth and prosperity. Every member of the family eats some of the bseesa mixture. In some families, the mother would make small balls of the bseesa and hide a coin in one of them, for good luck. The family member who gets the ball with the coin gets to ask for a special gift from the head of the household.

There’s also a Greek cake called Vasilópita, which is baked with a coin inside, and again, the person who gets the slice with the coin is promised good luck.

These days the key-shaped challah has become an Instagram favorite and a popular new tradition to many Jews, especially among Israelis. Here’s my version:

Key shaped challah (shlissel challah)

Recipe by Vered GuttmanCourse: breadCuisine: Jewish, Ashkenazi, IsraeliDifficulty: Difficult

Yields

1

large challah

Prep time

40

minutes

Baking time

25

minutes

Dough rising time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Total time

2

hours 

35

minutes

Shlissel challah is a key-shaped bread prepared by Hasidic Ashkenazi Jews for the first Shabbat after Passover.

I highly recommend using SAF Instant yeast (it’s available online and can keep for months in the fridge.)
When using instant yeast, you should skip the process of proofing the yeast.
If you’re using active dry yeast, start the recipe by proofing the yeast and continue as usual.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. all purpose flour, plus more for rolling the dough

• 1 tablespoons instant yeast (or active dry yeast, see note above)

• ½ cup sugar plus more for the pan

• 2 large eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten

• ⅔ cups warm milk or water

• 4 tablespoons soft butter or oil

• Grated zest of one orange (or lemon)

• 1½ teaspoon kosher salt

• For the egg wash

• 1 egg yolk

• 2 tablespoons water

• Pinch Kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

• If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST, skip to instruction number 2.
  If you’re using INSTANT YEAST, use a stand mixer with the dough hook. Put flour and yeast in the mixer’s bowl and mix with a fork. Add sugar, then turn mixer on medium-low speed and mix for a minute. Add eggs and milk and continue to mix for about 2 minutes, until well incorporated. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape the flour from the sides using a spatula and continue to mix. Add butter, a tablespoon at a time, then add orange zest and salt. Turn speed to medium-low and mix for 8 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides as needed. The dough is very soft, but don’t be tempted to add more flour into in.
  Skip to instruction number 3.
• If you’re using DRY ACTIVE YEAST you need to proof it first. Put ⅓ cup warm milk, the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar in a glass and stir briefly. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it visibly foams.
  To make the dough use a stand mixer with the dough hook. Put flour, the yeast mixture and the rest of the sugar, then turn mixer on medium-low speed and mix for a minute. Add eggs and the rest of the milk and continue to mix for about 2 minutes, until well incorporated. Stop the mixer as needed to scrape the flour from the sides using a spatula and continue to mix. Add butter, a tablespoon at a time, then add orange zest and salt. Turn speed to medium-low and mix for 8 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides as needed. The dough is very soft, but don’t be tempted to add more flour into in.
• Remove bowl from stand mixer. Using a spatula, transfer dough into a lightly greased large bowl, cover in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature, preferably in a warm space (near the oven, for example) until dough almost double in volume, about 60 to 90 minutes.
• When the dough is ready, punch it down and divide into two (it’s easier if you have a kitchen scale).
• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Divide the first half of dough into 2 and roll both to 18” long strands. Pinch their end together and roll them around each other, as a rope, pinching the bottom ends together. Arrange them in a ring shape at the top of the baking sheet.
• Divide the second half of dough into ⅘ and ⅕. Divide the ⅘ part into two and roll both into about 14” strands. Pinch their end together and roll them around each other, as a rope, pinching the bottom ends together. Transfer to the baking sheet and tack one end under the ring shape part, to create the key shape.
• Divide the small leftover dough (the 1/5) into 4, and roll each one into 4” long thin strands. Roll every two around each other, pinch the ends, and tack them under the main key shape challah on the baking sheet (see photos.)
• Place a small round cookie cutter in the center of the ring shaped part so it will keep its shape during baking.
• Cover the challah with a kitchen towel and let rest in a warm place, about 30 minutes, until it rises.
• Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.
• Beat egg yolk, water and salt in a cup and brush the challah with the egg wash. Sprinkle sesame seeds.
• Bake challah for 25 minutes or until the top is nicely brown and it is fully baked. Let rest on a cooling wrack to cool down. Keep covered with a towel until serving.