It’s a Chrismukkah miracle!

Can you tell that I am half Jewish? But not even, really. My dad is of Jewish decent, but I grew up celebrating Christmas. Alex, on the other hand, is fully Jewish. Now that we have Owen, we are trying to find a middle road. We celebrate both holidays, but we try to downplay Christmas (small tree, we haven’t ever visited Santa), and play up Hanukkah by giving the bigger gifts then. So far it’s working for us.

You know what else is working? This blended holiday challah.

A good loaf of regular challah is rich and pillowy soft inside, and tastes faintly of honey. This is like that, only instead of honey it’s molasses and warm winter spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. And then we top the whole thing with a shower of crystalized ginger.

I used to be totally phobic about bread baking (as in, I thought I couldn’t do it). But then one day a few years ago, I went to buy a challah at literally three different stores and they were all out. So, as they say, when you want something done, you’ve got to do it yourself. I used Melissa Clark’s recipe, and the loaf came out perfectly. I never looked back. These days I bake a challah at least once or twice a month. 

I may have been raised without any particular religion, but there is something in the ritual of baking bread. It reminds me to be thankful for the simple things: flour, water, food to eat, and my family to share it with.

Do I need to tell you that leftovers of this gingerbread challah makes incredible french toast? Be generous with the butter and maple syrup. It’s all about holiday indulgence.