Funfetti Challah (Frugal Jewish Education Series)

We all know the best way to learn how to do something is to do it yourself.
We also all know that it is far better to have our children do things for us than to have to do them ourselves. (After all, why else did we have children in the first place?  I jest!  But not really.)

For this reason I always involve the boys as much as possible in helping me with the Friday challah baking.  While we make "balls" and "snakes" out of the dough, we talk about taking challah and why it's important.
We always separate the challah and say the bracha   (links to instructions for ritual separating of the challah)  together.
Asher, who already knows the formula for Jewish blessings from saying them meal after meal before we eat, (as we try, and I emphasize try, to remember to do)  really loves saying the blessing along with me.  Both boys know the last word of the blessing and jump up and down when they say it.
(It is so sweet to watch Rami's face light up and scream "eesah!" at the end of the bracha.)

 Because the bracha has so many of the same words that we use daily before we eat, I use it to teach this lesso:.  We express gratitude when HaShem gives something to us, but we also express gratitude when we set something aside for HaShem.  Being Jewish is not only about getting and saying "thank you-" it's about saying "thank you" for the opportunity to give back as well.


In an effort to make this mitzvah a bit more fun and to keep it interesting week after week, I've been trying new add-ins.  I had seen this post on  homemade funfetti cake and figured the same principle would probably work for challah.  And I was right!
So, from the Kopans Bayit to you, here it is -
Funfetti Challah.


Mix up a regular batch of challah dough. (As if Challah is ever 'regular'!) After the first rise and punch-down, plop a couple of tablespoons of standard rectangular sprinkles (jimmies?) on top. 



Knead them in till they're evenly distributed. 



Strand and braid as usual. (Yes, I just made "strand" into a verb.  Hello, self-publishing!)



Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or so, as usual.  The finished challah comes out with pockets of color and sweetness.  



Asher obsessed over hunting for the blue funfettis.  Awesome.


Shabbat Shalom!