Gluten-free challah represents a bit of a ‘Holy Grail’ for #GF Jews. There’s no obvious substitute for tearing apart and sharing bread with your friends and family, and for many who are gluten intolerant, it becomes painfully obvious each Friday at sundown when they must hover for Shabbat prayers around a cutting board bearing a hot, delicious braided challah.

One writer stated, “The first time I had to sing the hamotzi over a rice cracker while everyone else ripped apart the bread, I cried.”

Edited to add: I was recently ‘schooled’ on my #GF flours – and spelt is a TYPE OF WHEAT!!! Leave it to the non-GF girlfriend to blow it! So it is NOT GF! Further… my Tom Sawyer Flour is made of RICE flour (I suppose that’s sort of an ancient grain) not spelt, at all. And while I could simply change all the text to reflect my new found information, I’d rather remain transparent and let you all know, I’ve learned from my mistakes! So while my friends won’t be crying over their rice buns they may be breaking their rice flour challah if they follow my recipe!

And I know there are a good many others who’d enjoy a yummy Challah or brioche that is GLUTEN FREE! There is such a deep and abiding cultural importance to baking bread, steeped in rich traditions for our family and we longed to find a bread we could share with every family member during the holiday. Challah is a very specific style and type of bread – and one I feared would not translate to ancient grains. But the more I speculated, the more excited I became at the concept. Hello? Ancient Grains. Ancient recipes. Duh. Spelt! BUT – :::screeching brakes sound::: what about that innate ‘rippability’ that only the best challah embodies? Would spelt flour give me that? I have Tom Sawyer’s GF flour that is made entirely with spelt! *edited above now that we have learned first our flour is not made from spelt but rice and second that SPELT is NOT Gluten Free (more…)