St. Joshua Milk and Honey Challah

History

The theme of Joshua’s life is one of fulfillment. As we discussed in our longer post about this saint (who shares the name of our Lord Jesus Christ), his life is filled with types of salvation that prefigure the greater fulfillment of God’s promises. Jesus would ultimately fulfill all of God’s promises, but in the time of Joshua, those promises were very concretely fulfilled when Israel entered the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Since he is a later addition to the sanctoral calendar, one might find it difficult to find ancient Christian traditions to commemorate St. Joshua, unlike the long-standing traditions one might find for St. Nicholas or St. Patrick. Yet Joshua’s life with its exciting narratives and themes of victory and faithfulness provides fertile ground for ways in which a family might commemorate his exemplary example. The most obvious of these, we suggest, is to partake of the rich fare which God provided Israel through the fulfillment of his promise to give them the land of Canaan.

Milk and Honey Challah

The imagery of milk and honey suggests rest and prosperity, which Israel certainly enjoyed under Joshua’s guidance, and several recipes come to mind for how one can partake of these rich foods. Something as simple as a honey-sweetened milk, tea, or a latte is certainly fitting. Something more complex might be a bread such as the one we suggest that also ties in nicely to Israel’s past. Challah has its origin in Jewish history as a nod to the loaves each tribe would set aside as an offering for the priests as commanded in the Torah. And it is enjoyed today by many on the Sabbath. It is filled with milk, eggs, and can be sweetened with honey or granulated sugar, so naturally we chose a honey option for the commemoration of St. Joshua.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm milk

1 packet yeast

¼ cup honey

2 eggs separated

1 tablespoon water

4 tablespoons butter melted

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon oil

Instructions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the warm milk and yeast until the yeast is activated. Then add the honey, butter, and one egg plus one egg yolk. Mix until combined. Whisk together the remaining egg white with one tablespoon of water and set aside for later.
2. To the wet ingredients, add in two cups of flour, mix, add in the salt, mix again, and add the remaining flour until a dough forms and continue mixing for 3-4 minutes.
3. Lightly oil your hands and remove the dough from the mixer to knead into a ball. It will be a sticky dough, so greasing your hands will be the best way to work with it. Place the dough in a greased bowl to rise util doubled.
4. Once doubled, punch the dough down and divide it into two parts to braid. One part should be ⅔ the volume of the dough and the other part should be ⅓. Divide each of the two parts into three, roll them out into strands about a foot long, and braid them into one. Place the larger braid on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and then place the smaller braid directly on top of the larger braid.
5. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and let the dough rise one more time while the oven preheats, about 15-20 minutes. Brush the egg white and water mixture over the braid, top with sesame seeds if desired, and bake for approximately 60 minutes or until golden brown.