Challah (barhesz) is an iconic food of the Jewish cuisine. The term challah is applied to any bread that is used in Jewish rituals, it doesn’t have anything to do with a bread’s appearance. For Shabbat or any other special occasion challach is braided like the Hungarian kalács, but for Rosh Hashanah, challah loaves are made in a circular or spiral shape with honey and raisins for a sweet new year.

Round challah has various symbolic meanings. Baking challah brings blessings upon the home; its shape may symbolize eternal life, continuity or the cycle of seasons; raisins and honey express abundance; its sweet taste represents hope for a sweet new year ahead.

I used the recipe of Eszter Bodrogi (she writes about the Jewish-Hungarian cuisine), I just halved the quantities. I took photos of the steps of braiding, but I also embedded a video made by Eszter, which will help you braid the ropes into a round challah properly.