It is a custom to bake a schlissel challah (key challah) for the first Shabbos after Passover. There are different traditions, with some baking their house key (wrapped in foil) into the challah, and some baking an image of a key into the top of the challah.
Another option is baking the challah in the shape of a key.
For my schlissel challah, I used this recipe, scaled up to use 5 lbs. of flour.
Last year Imamother polled its readers about this custom and found that most people favored baking a key into the challah.
I had thought this was something only done at home, but, apparently, you can also buy schlissel challah . . .
For more information on schlissel challah:
Guest Posting by a Talmid at A Simple Jew
The Kosher Channel has this video (and an article) showing how to shape different schlissel challahs:
Cook Kosher has a shaping technique here.
There is a 2013 article in Hamodia about schlissel challah, with shaping illustration and a recipe. (There is also a 2014 article by Tamar Ansh, but it isn’t online yet.)
UPDATE: An interesting article on this custom, “Loaf of Idolatry?” The Muqata summarizes the paper in this post. There is a rebuttal to this article at Vos Iz Neias.
UPDATE: Another interesting article, “Schlissel Challah–An Analysis,” by Rabbi Yair Hoffman (5Towns Jewish Times, April 5, 2013).
Tags: bread, challah, schlissel challah, shlissel challah
Pragmatic Attic 
April 28, 2011 at 9:34 pm |
I am SO pleased that you posted this today. I literally had my challah rising on the counter this evening when I saw this. I NEVER remember to put in a key and am so pleased that you reminded me. I quickly unbraided one of the loaves and slipped a key (wrapped in foil) into the center. This is the first time in 20 years of challah baking that I remembered to make shlissel challah. Thank you!
April 28, 2011 at 9:51 pm |
I’m so glad!! Thank you for telling me. I always forget, too . . . For once, I remembered and wanted to post about it early enough for others.
April 29, 2011 at 3:41 am |
So nice to see this! I flew back to Israel Wednesday but not before making my parents a batch of Shlissel challah for the freezer to have for Shabbat.. albeit, without me. Post Pesach Shabbat is not the same without the shlissel!!!
May 4, 2011 at 7:07 pm |
Laura, I must ask about the comment you left on my site. How do you make your own coconut oil??? It’s quite costly, and I would love to try making my own.
May 17, 2011 at 12:47 pm |
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