A Taste of Challah by Tamar Ansh is not a cheap book at $34.99, but it is well worth the money if you truly love beautifully illustrated books on baking bread from scratch. This book is a comprehensive guide to Challah and bread baking. There are recipes for Kubana, Rye and Flax Seed Bread, Oatmeal Raisin Bread, Saluf, Bagels, Hot Pretzels, and much, much more.

It is published by Feldheim Publishers. The ISBN numbers are ISBN-13:978-58330-922-3 and ISBN-10:58330-922-5.

I first read about this beautiful and informative cookbook on a Jewish Cuisine newsletter that I get by email. I get many newsletters about various types of cooking and cuisine.

Perhaps, this book is now available through inter-library-loan. At the time I purchased my copy Amazon did not have it. I ordered mine directly from Feldheim Publishers. I didn't like the price, but after I saw all the illustrations and photographs I felt that it was a worthwhile purchase.

Deborahmichelle would probably enjoy getting the emails from Feldheim Publishers as they are most interesting to read.

Dear Virginia Needlewoman, I would INDEED like to get the Feldheim Publishers emails.  What is the URL/website code, so that I can get myself on?  Or, can you sign me up as your friend? 

Would you do me a favor?  Would you check the index for bread machine baking?  AND, would you check the index for whole wheat challah baking?  Inclusion of those items in teh book would make me consider buying it.

Also, just so that I know that the book is authentic, would you check the index for "taking" challah, which means to roast a small amount of the dough in aluminum foil in the oven, saying a blessing over it before putting it in the oven. This is in remembrance of the offerings in teh Temple.

Thanks very much indeed!

Love in Him, Deb

There is a recipe for whole wheat challah. I don't know about using a bread machine, but I did find 2 URLs for you to use to obtain more information.

www.feldheim.com   and www.TasteofChallah.com

Why don't you see if you can obtain a copy of the book from a library before you purchase it?

Yes, there is a mention of saying a blessing over the bread.

Thank you so verymuch indeed, Virginia Needlewoman!  The TasteofChallah URL is most informative.  It shows that the whole wheat challah only uses 1/2 whole wheat, & that there are no bread machine recipes.  So, I won't be buying it.   In long experience, I have found that the Torah-true book publishers respond to Inter-Library Loan requests infrequently -- that is, secular libraries rarely own the books. 

ANd it's because of that that I am especially grateful for the Feldheim URL.

Love in Him, Deb

It's a beautiful book, Deb. I bought it so that I could try making that  type of bread and it shows how to make bagels also. I learned about the book from the About.com newsletter on Jewish cooking.

I used to belong to a Yahoo bread baking group and several of the members had posted pictures of the Challah they had made.

I am most likely going to get back into baking breads again. I want to do a buttermilk bread that only makes one loaf so that I can use up my buttermilk in the fridge.

Ah, Virginia Needlewoman, Your incipient buttermilk bread sounds so good!

I have a THE KING ARTHUR FLOUR BAKING COMPANION, & all of its recipes (muffins, cakes, pies, not just breads) are scrumptious.  But what I bake every 2nd week is the bread machine's manual's 100% whole wheat bread.  (I often bake a snack cake, too -- ie, just oil & fairly low sugar.  I don't want anything rich.)

I also have 4 Kosher cookbooks -- 2 just for Passover, when there are so many dietary restrictions.

Love in Him, Deb