Monday through Friday, as kids fill the cafeteria to eat and order food, the kitchen staff is working behind the scenes to prepare and bake challahs. These challahs are then sold weekly to JDS families for Shabbat, with an average of around 150 challahs sold each week.
When Director of Food Services Mark Glauser came to JDS in 2021, he wanted the school to bake its own challahs. So, along with Dining Services Manager Michal Cepler, he began to try different recipes until he found one that worked for the desired large-scale baking.
Starting in the 2023-24 school year, school-baked challahs were only used for school events, such as rolls for staff appreciation breakfasts and guest lunches for Dor L’Dor lunches for the guests, but in the 2024-25 school year, the challahs began to be sold both on The Mane Course, a JDS website where the kitchen sells various food items, and through the Parents Association. The school has also now hired a baker, Deborah Weinstein, to assist in the Upper School.
“We have the facilities, so we should be making our own challahs,” Glauser said. “That’s something that we should be able to do for our community.”
The challah-making process is lengthy and requires lots of equipment that limits the number of challahs that can be made at a time. After the dough is made, it sits, either in a proofer or refrigerator, until it doubles in size. It is then divided into strands and shaped, proofed and doubled in size again, baked, cooled and then packaged for distribution.
For many parents, it is difficult to find the time to bake or pick up a challah every week, so ordering online and having their child bring the challah home every Friday can save time and money. The JDS challahs cost $6.50, which is similar to other nearby options, including Sunflower Bakery ($6) and Moti’s Market ($5.69). JDS also sells a pull-apart challah and challah rolls (6 pack) that both also cost $6.50. Challahs can be picked up on Fridays at both the Upper and Lower Schools.
“We love the JDS challah and we get it every week,” high school Jewish text teacher Ruth Friedman said. “And over the summer, it was very sad because the JDS challah wasn’t available, and so we had to get it from other places. And at one point, my seven-year-old said, ‘none of these are as good as the JDS challah.’”
I have tried all three of the previously mentioned challahs, and the JDS challah was definitely my favorite. It was softer and airier than the others, not at all doughy, which I don’t like, and had a faint resemblance in taste to a croissant. I was also able to try the JDS challah while it was still warm, and I recommend heating the challah up in the oven before serving it.
Glauser has also worked to expand from just selling challot and baked goods on The Mane Course to selling whole, prepared Shabbat meals. This includes brisket, salmon, vegetarian and other meals that allow parents not to have to worry about cooking for Shabbat if they don’t have time.
I recommend trying the JDS challah, both because it’s delicious and convenient for students and their families.
“[It was very rewarding] when people were complimenting us on the challahs, and saying, ‘wow, this is exactly what we were missing. We won’t have to go somewhere else to search for something, because it’s here in our home,'” Glauser said.
