Basic Challah Bread
Basic challah bread is easy to achieve at home. This traditional Jewish braided loaf is incredibly soft, slightly chewy, and a little sweet. Follow my step-by-step tutorial for creating beautifully shaped, golden brown homemade bread. Challah bread is no longer just for the holidays!
OVERVIEW
- Skill Level: Intermediate
If you aren’t familiar with challah, it is a traditional Jewish bread made for the Sabbath and major Jewish holidays. It is incredibly soft, slightly sweet, and a little chewy. Although it’s traditionally served as a beautiful centerpiece on a holiday table, it’s easy enough to make at any time and by anyone!
Challah bread is made with a type of enriched dough containing eggs and oil making it soft and incredibly rich. The hardest part of this recipe is choosing which shaping method to utilize. Traditional challah is braided, therefore I’ve provided 2 shaping methods with step-by-step photos to create beautifully braided loaves.
Ingredients in challah bread
Flour: All-purpose flour works very well in challah bread but you can also use bread flour if you have it on hand.
Yeast: I prefer to use instant yeast for this recipe to reduce the proofing time. If using active dry, you will need to increase the bulk ferment and proofing steps.
Salt: Bread made without salt is truly vile. It enhances the flavor of the bread and creates a balance that can’t be skipped.
Oil: Oil, as well as the eggs, adds richness and keeps the dough soft. Use a neutral flavored oil like canola, vegetable, safflower, or grapeseed.
Honey: Most traditional challah recipes call for granulated sugar but I love to use honey for a slightly different flavor. Honey brings a little sweetness to the bread without making it overly sweet.
Eggs: Eggs add richness and fluffiness to the dough. I’m using a combination of whole egg and egg yolks.
Water: Most enriched yeast doughs use milk for the liquid in the recipe but to keep kosher, challah uses water. The water is heated to a warm temperature to activate the dried yeast.
How to make challah bread
Challah bread is made with enriched dough. This means that the dough is made with fat, sugar, and eggs, as opposed to lean doughs that do not have any fat present.
Make the dough
Whisk together the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add all of the wet ingredients and mix well.
If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured countertop and knead for about 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. If kneading with a stand mixer, fit the mixer with a dough hook and knead at medium speed for about 6-8 minutes. Add more flour as needed while kneading the dough.
When the dough is finished being kneaded it will be slightly sticky to the touch, but feel smooth and elastic and should stand tall when rounded into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl topped with plastic wrap to bulk ferment. Ferment until doubled in size which will take about 2 hours. Don’t rely solely on the timing but rather on the appearance and puffiness of the dough.
Shape the dough
I’ve provided 2 options for shaping the dough but there are endless variations you can try! For the main photos in this post, I’ve made a braided round.
How to make a braided round
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and start to roll them into rope shapes. At this point, they won’t roll out very far without resisting. Cover the pieces of dough and let them rest for about 20 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and will make the dough easier to shape.
Roll out each piece of dough about 20-22 inches (50-55 cm) long. All pieces of dough should be the same length. If it’s still resisting, let it sit for another 5-10 minutes until it’s easier to shape.
Place 2 pieces of dough horizontally beside each other. Weave a 3rd piece of dough vertically in between the horizontal pieces (over and under). Repeat with the 4th piece of dough. This will create 8 ends of dough.
Begin with any “under” piece of dough and gently move it over the piece of dough beside it. Be gentle but try to keep it tight without stretching the dough. Working clockwise, repeat with every “under” piece of dough until you’re back at the starting point.
Next, repeat the same process but work counter-clockwise. Move each “under” piece of dough over the piece beside it working until you’re back at the starting point. This process creates a beautiful traditional woven pattern.
Repeat this process, changing direction until you’ve used up all of the dough ends. Tuck the ends under the round loaf.
Gently pick up the round loaf and place it on a parchment lined sheet pan. Place a piece of plastic wrap loosely over the top to proof for about 1 hour until puffy.
How to make a braided loaf
Divide the dough into 3 (or 4 if you like the look) equal pieces and roll them into long ropes. Cover the pieces of dough and let them rest for about 20 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and will make the dough easier to shape.
Roll each rope to about 18 inches (45 cm) long. Lay the ropes beside each other and pinch the top of each piece together. Braid them together and pinch the bottom ends together. Tuck in each end and place in a greased loaf pan or directly on a parchment lined baking sheet. Loosely cover with plastic wrap to proof for about 1 hour until puffy.
Bake
After proofing, brush an egg wash over the top of the dough. Bake for 30-35 minutes until dark golden brown. Let cool for at least an hour before slicing.
STORAGE
Room Temperature: Leftover challah can be stored at room temperature either in a container or wrapped in plastic wrap for 3 – 4 days. Place in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
Freezer: Let the baked challah cool completely, then place in a zipper freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To refresh the frozen bread, wrap in aluminum foil and place into the oven at 400°F / 205°C for 6 – 8 minutes until warmed through.
You can also freeze individual slices of challah and then use the toaster to refresh straight from frozen.
FAQ
Do I need to proof the yeast before using?
The process of “proofing your yeast” is when dried yeast is poured into warm liquid with a pinch of sugar to hydrate it and kick start its activity.
While technically optional, this step of proofing the yeast is done to ensure that your yeast is active. There’s nothing worse than going through the process of making dough only to see that it’s not rising and the yeast is in fact dead or inactive.
Stir a large pinch of sugar and the dried yeast into the warm water. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbly and foamy. This means your yeast is active and good to go!
What’s the difference between challah and brioche?
Both challah and brioche bread are super soft and slightly sweet types of bread. The most important difference is that challah is part of the Jewish tradition and uses ingredients to keep kosher, no dairy.
Brioche is a French recipe that uses plenty of milk and butter in the dough while challah uses water and oil.
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Basic Challah Bread
This traditional Jewish braided loaf is incredibly soft, slightly chewy, and a little sweet. Follow my step-by-step tutorial for creating beautifully shaped challah at home.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 540 grams (4 ½ cups) all-purpose flour, plus additional
- 7 grams (2 ¼ teaspoons, 1 package) instant or quick rise yeast, not active dry
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 28 grams (2 tablespoons) neutral-flavored oil (canola, vegetable, safflower, grapeseed)
- 1 large whole egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 85 grams (¼ cup) honey
- 150 grams (½ cup + 2 tablespoons, 150 milliliters) water, warmed to about 110°F/ 43°C
For the egg wash
- 1 large whole egg
- 15 grams (1 tablespoon) water
Instructions
Make the dough
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour (540 grams/ 4 ½ cups), yeast (7 grams/ 2 ¼ teaspoons), and salt (2 teaspoons). Stir together.
- Add to the bowl the oil (28 grams/ 2 tablespoons), whole egg (1 large), egg yolks (2 large), honey (85 grams/ ¼ cup), and the warm water (150 grams/ ½ cup + 2 tablespoons). Stir to combine.
- If kneading by hand, turn the dough out onto a floured countertop. Dust flour over the top of the dough and knead the dough by hand for about 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. If kneading with a stand mixer, fit the mixer with a dough hook and knead at medium speed for about 6-8 minutes. Add more flour as needed while kneading the dough. When the dough is finished being kneaded it will still be slightly sticky to the touch, but feels smooth and elastic and should stand tall when rounded into a ball.
- Move the kneaded dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, and cover with a piece of plastic wrap, a damp cloth, or a shower cap (my preference) to bulk ferment until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
Shape the Dough
- Gently deflate the dough by pressing the air out of it with your hand. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- To make a braided round: (See the tutorial photos for more clarification) Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and start to roll them into rope shapes. Cover the pieces of dough and let them rest for 20 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and will make the dough easier to shape. Roll each rope to about 20-22 inches (50-55 cm) long. Place 2 pieces of dough horizontally beside each other. Weave a 3rd piece of dough vertically in between the horizontal pieces (over and under). Repeat with the 4th piece of dough. This will create 8 ends of dough. Begin with any “under” piece of dough and gently move it over the piece of dough beside it. Working clockwise, repeat with every “under” piece of dough until you’re back at the starting point. Repeat the same process but work counter-clockwise. Repeat these steps changing direction until all of the dough is used. Tuck the ends underneath. Transfer the round to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- To make a braided loaf: Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and roll them into long ropes. Cover the pieces of dough and let them rest for 20 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and will make the dough easier to shape. Roll each rope to about 18 inches (45 cm) long. Lay the ropes beside each other and pinch the top of each piece together. Braid them together and pinch the bottom ends together. Tuck in each end and place in a greased loaf pan or directly on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Cover the dough loosely and let proof for about 1 hour until puffy.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/ 190°C.
- Whisk together the whole egg (1 large) and the water (15 grams/ 1 tablespoon). Using a pastry brush, gently brush the egg wash over the dough.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. The crust should be a deep golden brown color. Let cool on a wire cooling rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
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7 Comments on “Basic Challah Bread”
Thank you for this! I just started making challah and I’m gonna try this recipe this weekend. My mother raises bees and produces honey, so I’m always happy to use her stuff in baked goods.
A note about the egg wash: if one didn’t want to crack a 4th egg, they could just use the two whites they’ll have leftover from the dough. An egg wash with just whites isn’t *exactly* the same, but it still works and it’s a good use of those whites you’ll already have.
That’s such a gorgeous bread and you make it look so easy – I think I might have to give this a whirl this week!
Holla at your challah!! This loaf looks absolutely perfect. There’s nothing more than a slice of amazing challah (especially when it’s French Toast-ed).
Seriously? The only reason to slice a Challah is to make French Toast.
Otherwise, it should be torn apart, which maintains the natural direction of the dough and improves how flaky it is. Plus, each person gets as much or as little as they want. [Tearing is also sort of mentioned in religious texts.]
Some of us aren’t religious
Phew! I followed the recipe exactly and the dough was so runny…. I added cups and cups of flour to finally get it tacky. It’s a behemoth of a ball of dough, lol!
I have made a lot of bread in my life but I have tried twice to make this recipe. I used a scale, I used *exactly* the ingredients required. Used the mixer with the dough hook. Followed the timing requirements. And both times ended up with a solid lump of unrisen dough. I have no idea what I’m doing wrong. The yeast is active.
FYI- flatten out and covered with cinnamon and sugar and raisins it makes a perfectly edible ? Cookie ? Biscuit? It’s just not bread!