There are different ways to braid a challah, but we’ve never seen one this clever.

To celebrate Chanukah, Hanukkah or however you spell it, Manhattan specialty food purveyor Eli Zabar has created this whimsical challah menorah.

It’s not kosher, but it is delicious. Order yours at EliZabar.com.

At $45, it may be the costliest bread you’ve ever eaten; but the extra labor to create the menorah must be factored in.

WHAT EXACTLY IS CHALLAH BREAD?

Challah is a special braided bread consumed on the Jewish Sabbath and holidays.

According to Jewish tradition, the three Sabbath meals (Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and Saturday dinner) and two meals for each holiday (dinner the evening of the holiday and lunch the following day) each begin with two complete loaves of challah. This two loaves commemorate the manna that fell from the heavens to feed the Israelites as they wandered in the desert after their exodus from Egypt.

According to the legend, manna did not fall on Sabbath or holidays; instead, a double portion would fall the day before.

By tradition, each single loaf loaf of challah is woven from six ropes of dough. The braided loaf is then brushed with an egg wash before baking, which adds a golden sheen. Together, both loaves have twelve strands, which represent the 12 tribes of Israel.

Traditional challah is a sweet, eggy bread mixed from eggs (often five of them), fine white flour, water, sugar, yeast, and salt.

 
Unlike brioche, another sweet, eggy bread, challah is usually parve, containing no butter or milk.
HOW TO PRONOUNCE “CHALLAH”

It is not “hollah.” The “ch” at the beginning of the word is a gutteral sound most familiar as the German “ach,” or the American expression of disgust, “yech.”

Here’s the actual pronunciation in an audio file (just click).