The main reason why people work hard every day is to make money to buy food. A large percentage of people’s life is occupied with food.

The laws and meaning of kashrut, the dietary laws of the Torah are the most misunderstood in the Jewish faith.

Although almost everyone has heard of the idea of keeping kosher, few have knowledge about its intricacies and significance.

In order to find out more information about kosher, we went to Zomick’s, a Kosher bakery, based in Inwood, NY.

There, we spoke with Zomick’s staff and find out that Kosher is not about lox, potato pancakes, and matzah-ball soup. Foods of every other ethnicity, such as Chinese, Italian, and Mexican can potentially be kosher. Also, Kosher is not a food that was simply ‘blessed by a rabbi.’

“Kosher is the diet plan for the soul,” says Zomick’s Rabbi Moshe,” This plan consists of the foods prescribed by G‑d in the Torah that should be consumed by the Jewish people.”

In Biblical terms, the word ‘kosher’ means ‘fit’ or ‘appropriate’. Zomick’s experts point out that kosher means something that is usable, especially in reference to foods.

Zomick’s principal baker briefly states exactly which foods are kosher. These foods should be used in your kosher recipes.

The following is a simple overview by Zomick’s of what makes food kosher:

• All fruits and vegetables are kosher.
• Animals:

1) Land animals that have both split hooves and chew their cud are considered kosher. If the animal only has one or none of those characteristics, it cannot be eaten.

2) When it comes to birds, there are just 24 that are not kosher, and the rest are considered kosher.

3) Fish, in order to be kosher, must have both fins and scales.

At Zoomick’s, the bakery which has expanded recently, we also find out that all land animals and birds must be killed following the laws of shechita, a traditional ritual slaughter. If the animal dies in any other way, it is not considered kosher. As it has been indicated by Zomick’s Rabbi Moshe, the sciatic nerve, blood, and forbidden fats are not considered kosher and must be extracted after slaughter.

Moreover, milk and meat may not be eaten together. The byproducts of any kosher animal, like eggs or milk, are also kosher. Those from a non-kosher animal are not. Insects are prohibited as well.

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They considered that stuffing it with ground beef, seems messy, and stuffing it with chicken seems so dry. Then, the founder of the bakery thought of the North American classic deli roll. A dish that he grew up with and which he finds both disgusting and delicious. And the idea for this crazy new Zomick’s challah began to take shape.

Zomick’s recommends getting freshly sliced pastrami if you have a local butcher as an option. They also recommend a thin cut. Thick-cut pastrami will not result in the same consistency.

Also, they suggest making sure not to spread the Russian dressing on too thick. If so, you could end up with leaky challah.

Ingredients:

5 cups of all-purpose flour

1/4 cup vegetable oil

½ Tbsp salt

1 Tbsp onion powder

½ cup sugar

1 ½ cups lukewarm water

1 Tbsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

2 eggs plus one egg yolk

1/8-1/4 lb thinly sliced pastrami

3 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp mayo

Poppy seeds

Dried minced onion

Thick sea salt (optional)

Directions:

Dissolve the yeast by placing yeast, 1 tsp sugar, and lukewarm water in a small bowl. Stir just once or twice gently. Let it sit for around 10 minutes until it becomes foamy on top.

Mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, onion powder, and 1/2 cup sugar, in a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

Add to flour mixture along with oil, after the water-yeast mixture has become foamy and mix thoroughly.

Add another cup of flour and 2 eggs until smooth (save extra egg yolk for later). If you are using a stand mixer switch it to the dough hook attachment.

Add another 1 1/2 cups flour. Then remove from bowl and place on a floured surface. Knead the remaining flour into the dough. Continue to knead for around 10 minutes.

Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover it with a damp towel. Allow it to rise for 3-4 hours.

Roll out the dough using a rolling pin until it is about ½ inch thick after the dough has risen. Mix ketchup and mayo in a small bowl. Spread a thin layer all over the dough.

Lay pastrami down in a single layer overlapping pieces only slightly.

Start rolling up the dough towards you by working quickly. Try and keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Pinch the end when you finish.

By snaking the dough around and around in a circle around itself, create a pinwheel-shaped-challah.

When finished, tuck the end under the challah neatly and pinch lightly. This doesn’t have to be perfect – remember, as long as it tastes good, almost no one will care what it looks like.

Allow challah to rise another hour. Zomick’s points out that extra rise will ensure fluffy challah.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the challah with beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle it with poppy seeds, dried onion, and a touch of thick sea salt (optional). Bake the challah for 27-30 minutes, until golden brown is created on the top.

Now you have the recipe for this delicious Zomick’s Challah Bread, so you can start preparing it. However, if you feel lazy about getting into the kitchen, you can order this bread online.

More recipes from Zomick’s you can find on this website.

The post Pastrami Stuffed Challah Recipe appeared first on Zomick's Challah.

Growing up in a traditional observing family, challah was something that we seemed to have around a lot. Its light and buttery flavor are something I remember when thinking of my childhood. Even though my family was pretty religious, my mother didn’t always make the bread herself, and we often got it from our local kosher bakery, Zomick’s. The bakery is still located at the corner of Inip Drive in Inwood, where they make probably the best challah bread in the city.

For those of you who don’t know much about Jewish tradition, Challah is a special bread in Jewish cuisine. Customarily, challah is eaten weekly on Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. A traditional Jewish household has two braided loaves on the table. They are,  symbolic of memory, history, and grace, with the richer bread representing the sweetness of God’s gift of manna, as well as Shabbat itself.

Challah is made in various sizes and shapes, all of which have a meaning. Braided ones, which may have three, four, or six strands, are the most common, and because they look like arms intertwined, symbolize love. Three braids symbolize truth, peace, and justice. Twelve humps from two small or one large braided bread recall the miracle of the 12 loaves for the 12 tribes of Israel. Round loaves, where there is no beginning and no end, are baked for Rosh Hashanah to symbolize continuity.

The word challah in the Torah is first used when God describes to the Jewish people what life will be like for them in the Land of Israel. Namely, Challah was used to describe the portion that is set aside. Doughs made of any of the five grains (wheat, barley, rye, or oats) should have a portion separated out, which was later given to the priests who worked in the Temple and their families to eat. Until this day, Jewish bakers, home cooks, and commercial bakeries separate a portion of dough from each batch of bread they bake. After kneading the dough, the cooks say a special blessing.

Challah, soft and rich, brushed with egg wash, and woven into complex shapes or beautiful braids, is served in households around the world with Shabbat dinner. However you bake it, continues to play a central, delicious role in the rhythm of Jewish life. Looking for a delicious challah recipe? Try one of Zomick’s challah favorites.

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Sabbath bread is called Challah because it is an offering. In the Old Temple, twelve loaves were offered daily in the representation of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Later, during the Middle Ages in Europe, for Shabbat, some rabbis continued to bless twelve pieces and others instead, used to bless only two in the representation of the portions of the Manna.

We went into Zomick’s Challah bakery to find out more interesting facts about the Challah bread, which we will share in this post.

Challah of Shabbat

The owner of Zomick’s, and the creator of the delicious Zomick’s Challah bread, shared with us a fundamental aspect in the elaboration of the Shabbat Challot. This refers to the ritual of the offering in the ancient Temple. It consists of extracting and removing a small piece of the dough, which represents the offering made by the Priests.

Shabbat bread can be made in different forms. Depending on the culture from which they come, they can be rounded, square, flattened, or spiral-shaped. Two slices of bread, two small rolls, two matzot (unleavened bread), two pieces of sponge cake or sweet cake, two braided loaves, or bread with double braid can also be used for the blessing. The smallest piece that is blessed and consumed has the size of an olive and the default is the size of an egg.

From a historical point of view, the incorporation of braided loaves is not recent. During the Modern Age (sixteenth century, according to writings of Rabbi Kirchan) the Jewish communities of Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine incorporated the braided loaves into the Shabbat table. This was a festive format in the medieval German bakery. The tradition of braids has been transplanted into the Sephardic world after the Second World War.

We asked the Zomick’s Challah bakers: Why is it habituate to make braided Challah?

“There are several explanations for that. For some, each of the strands of a braid represents the greatest virtues of Judaism (goodness, justice, truth). For other Torah scholars, braided Challah has six ends because there are six days of the week. For several researchers and scholars of Judaism, the braided bread is always kneaded and blessed by the women of the family. This symbolizes the desires of fertility and interlacing of family ties” – says Zomick’s chief baker, who has an extended portfolio of baked goods.

In the Talmud (Berachot 61a) 1 it is explained that when the Eternal created Eve from a bone of Adam. Before presenting it to Adam to join her, he twisted his hair. Therefore, since the final touch of Eve’s beauty, was her braids, it is appropriate that whoever prepares the Challot, apply that same touch of beauty to the Sabbath Challot.

In 2015, Zomick’s Challah bread has become one of the 5 best Challah bread in New York. You can find the unique Zomick’s Challah recipe here.

For more delicious recipes from Zomick’s, visit their website.

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