35 Foot Challah Baked in Boro Park on Track to Beat World Record

By C.G. Hoffman

What is every Jewish hostess’s number one worry? If you guessed “not having enough food,” then congratulations! You’re probably another anxious Jewish hostess! At this Shabbos Seudah, held at Congregation Rodeph Shalom on the Upper West Side, everyone, guests and hosts, was able to fully relax because the challah was 35 feet long!  (Actually, 35 feet and 2 inches!)

The project was initiated by the United Jewish Federation of North America, which held a Kiruv event called Shabbos of Love across all 150 Federations in North America. To honor the event, they ordered the massive challah from the famed Strauss Bakery of Boro Park. BP24 spoke to Strauss Bakery to hear some fascinating details about the monumental project.

“This is not the first time Strauss Bakery baked a massive challah. About nine years ago, we baked a 27-foot challah in honor of Shabbos Inspire. This time, the OU recommended our bakery for this enormous project, being that we already had experience with gigantic challahs. We had just one week to make it happen!”

The humongous hamotzi was 35 feet and 2 inches and used 200 pounds of dough. It was baked in a tunnel oven at David’s Cookies, a kosher commercial bakery in New Jersey. "It was a true honor to take part in such a special project for a special mission. As always, we think big, and we were proud to be able to deliver big results for this special Shabbos,” David's Cookies shared with BoroPark24.

The transportation of the massive challah brought with it its own kup vei (headache). The enormous tray was carried by dozens of people and carefully transported to New Jersey, where it was baked. And just in case, Strauss Bakery says they made another one as a backup!

The goal was for the challah to reach 35 feet, to beat another world record challah made in Australia that came in at 32 feet. But the challah rose to the occasion and grew an additional two inches. The challah was presented to Congregation Rodeph Shalom on Friday, and the other challah was donated to the Moshe House, an organization that provides free room and board to young adults.