Hallah is the ninth tractate of Seder Zeraim

Zeraim

Seder Zeraim is the first and shortest Seder of the Mishnah, the first major work of Jewish law. The section of mishnah was written by the rabbis to inform all Jews what must be done to fulfill their biblical obligations of prayer and commandments about food.Observers of Jewish law are bound with...

("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah

Mishnah

The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...

and of the Talmud

Talmud

The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....

. This "Hallah" was separated from bread dough made from the five species of grain and put aside for a Kohen in Biblical times and the time of the Jewish Temple. Today, it is separated and burnt in the oven or fed to birds in a few Jewish communities. Before the Hallah is separated a blessing, "Al Atefias Challah", is said. The amount separated is only from bread products made from 1.2 kilos of flour or more (without a blessing) or 1.67 kilos or more (with a blessing according to some authorities) or 2.25 kilos or more (with a blessing) and is the size of a large olive. If less than the requisite amount is used, some separate without a blessing while others do not separate at all. If no separation is done while cooking, it can be done afterwards without a blessing.