From soups to salads to sandwiches, bread is the one thing that goes well with a vast variety of foods! In the Scriptures, “bread” is mentioned over 300 times, and the number of occurrences depends on the translation you’re reading. The King James Version mentions “bread” 361 times. However, where “bread” appears, it may be used more loosely to mean “food”—even spiritual food.

An example is the well-known verse from the Model Prayer that Messiah taught:

Give us this day our daily bread… (Matt 6:11)

The Hebrew word for “bread” is lechem (לֶחֶם, Strong’s H3899), first mentioned in Genesis 3:19, when Adam was told that by the sweat of his brow he would eat his bread. Offerings with bread were also a mainstay for the set-apart people of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and twelve challah—one for each of the 12 tribes—were set on a special table in the tabernacle and replaced with fresh bread every Sabbath (Leviticus 24).

The traditional challah we bake today for Sabbath is usually a three-strand braided style of leavened bread. The dough prepared for challah can be formed into a variety of other breads, including cheese rolls. Simply roll out the dough, sprinkle shredded cheese, roll up the dough, slice to desired sizes, add egg wash then bake.

Below is a standard recipe for the dough:

Sabbath Bread

Ingredients

• Flour – 4 cups
• Instant yeast – 2 tbsps
• Kosher Salt – 1 tsp
• Sugar – 3 tsps
• Olive oil – ¹/₄ cup (plus 1 tbsp)
• Warm water or milk – 1 cup
• Egg (for basting) – 1

Instructions

1 – Place dry ingredients in a large bowl, large enough to allow mixing.

2 – Mix dry ingredients together.

3 – Add oil to the mixture

4 – Pour water in gradually, mixing as you fold dry ingredients into mixture.

5 – After dough is well formed, use the remaining oil (1 tbsp) to rub over the exterior surface of the dough to keep it moistened.

6 – Leave dough to rise for 20 to 30 minutes.

7 – Divide the dough and form into the desired shapes (braided challah, cheese roll, bread rolls, etc.).

8 – Leave to rise again for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 300^o F.

9 – Add egg wash to the bread just before placing in the oven.

10 – Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

11 – Remove baked bread from the oven and leave to cool.

12 – Serve with meal of choice.