Royally Annoying Review on Royal Challah Silicone Mold

The challah silicone mold

It was created to obediently take on a beautiful braid’s shape for dutiful but less-than-dexterous bakers. But it also elicited many comments, a few of them of a gastronomic nature, most of them of a reconstructive-surgery nature (vaguely reminding one as it does of some enhancement plan…), and just one of them of a spiritual nature, like the one below, found on Amazon: Here comes: No name, but I’ll give you a hint: It’s a man!

This product is a bad idea. The braids and braiding of challah contribute important symbolic meaning that help a Jewish woman imbue the Shabbat table with additional holiness. If one adopts the opinion that such symbols are negligible, one misses the point. Too many people view observance, and life for that matter, as series of defenses against demerit. To the contrary, observance, and life, are series of opportunities to improve, to build a nearness to our Creator. For a quick summary of some of the symbolism, the following link is useful. (…) If you are Jewish, do not buy this product. IF you do, you are denying yourself some opportunities to augment your appreciation of life’s meaning through participation and involvement in the mental exercise of understanding why challot are braided.

My answer to this review is as follows:

This guy sounds like a royal (ha-ha) pain in the butt! Why doesn’t he make his case in some other forum where he could discuss how yiddishe mammas are missing the point when they buy prepared foods for shabbos, or for that matter, celebrate Passover in some resort? He might  just have an audience, and I might even agree with him up to a point, only not on Amazon!  And not at the detriment of this poor devil trying to sell these silicone …. Enhancements! By any chance is Amazon thinking of adding on a rabbinical forum to their portfolio? I wouldn’t put anything past them, as they always expanding!

Still the question remains: How does the challah come out in this challah silicone mold, for G-d’s sake? Come on people: Spill the beans! Seriously: I am thinking of buying a couple of them, as I may be a good baker, that’s what I hear, but I am a lousy braider, that’s what I don’t hear: thank you dearest students for never saying what I always think: My bread is delicious but pretty homely!

 

14 replies
  1. Heidi
    Heidi says:

    Do any of you have good recipes for the 8×5 silicone pan or the 13×7 silicone pan? The last thing I want to do is make the dough only to find it will be too much or too little for the pan. I would appreciate any and all recipes for both sizes.
    I haven’t purchased yet, because I want recipes first LOL

  2. Jennifer
    Jennifer says:

    i actually did a side by side ‘challah bake-off’ and must confess… This pan made a gorgeous loaf. Mine usual looks good, but it looked pretty sad next to the bumpy-golden glory of this one!
    As to the shmuck saying we were taking the holiness out of the baking of challah Mitzvah… HE is missing the mark. The fact that any working woman is still doing her best to bake challah at the end of a workweek is honorable. She is STiLL carrying the mitzvah on her shoulders of keeping her home a Jewish home, keeping Shabbat and doing all the amazing things that a woman of valor does. Our Shabbat is meant to be filled with light and love, not exhaustion from getting up early to prep the challah and crockpot, full day at work, race against the sun to get the challah in the oven, house tidied, table set, candles lit, etc. There was a beauty to it when we didn’t work, but now… We buy silicone molds and thank G-d for their invention. ;-)

  3. B Parness
    B Parness says:

    For people who need to make a gluten free challah, these silicone molds are a wonderful invention, and very necessary. Without these molds, you cannot make gluten free challah that looks braided, as the texture of the dough is unbelievably sticky. There is absolutely no way to braid gluten free challah dough the way you would braid non gluten free challah dough. These molds allow the challahs to look like challahs..You bake the challahs in them for about 20 minutes, take the challahs out of the molds, brush egg yolk on them, and then you bake the challahs out of the molds for the last 20 minutes. Voila!

  4. Sharon
    Sharon says:

    My son is a coeliac and braiding is impossible with GF four! The prospect of presenting a ‘real’ braided challah on shabbos for my boy beats any spiitual connection or fulfillment I might have achiece from trying fruitlessly to braid what cannot be braided! I am definitely getting this mould. Just not sure whether to get the silicon or the tin? Any ideas?

  5. Isabel
    Isabel says:

    I make wonderful braided challah for our havurah. I was thinking about buying a mold for my friends who are gluten free. You cannot braid gluten free dough. So this may be the answer.

  6. Barbara
    Barbara says:

    I grew up on loaf challah, nothing fancy, just plop in a bread pan. And no one suffered, no one “married out,” and we had beautifully sandwiches all week. It’s the taste, and its very existence, that makes challah special, unless you’re entered in a contest!

  7. Helene Medjuck
    Helene Medjuck says:

    Hi Levana. Check out Amazon.com review #2 and #3 for the Silicone Challah Pan.! I’ve had good results with this pan, though I won’t quit my “braid job” Wonderful “training wheels” for those who have never tried making challah before!
    Hugs, Helene

    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Training wheels is the right way to describe way. But really, take a girl like me, who is always reticent to do anything “for looks” when it comes to cooking: I just want to make a great dish, and plop it on a platter and let it speak for itself. I really welcome those training wheels! If I get this gismo, and I like it, I might never go back to my homely braiding! Love to all. PS: Until I announce it more formally, listen up: My book went out to press this week: Can’t tell you how delighted I am! xoxoxo

  8. Lévana
    Lévana says:

    Sharone always so nice to hear form you. Might you be coming to NYC anytime soon? You could join us a t a demo: I would love to see you! Hey wait till you see how my latest cookbook is getting redone! Fabulous! Love to all, xoxoxo

  9. sharone goodman
    sharone goodman says:

    levana,
    i love your work, your recipes along with your words continue to nurture me. thank you for publishing and may Hashem bless you with the health and strength to continue your holy work.
    love, sharone

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