Challah
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With its rich, slightly sweet flavor, shiny golden crust, and pillowy interior, challah isn’t just for the Jewish holidays — it appeals to everyone, any time!
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Challah is the bread of celebration in Jewish tradition, but I put it in the matzo ball soup and bagel category: it appeals to everyone. It’s a rich, slightly sweet loaf with a shiny, golden crust and pillowy-soft interior. But what makes it truly special is its distinctive braid, which symbolizes, among other things, the joining together of family and friends. Rest assured, challah looks like far more trouble than it actually is. Think of it as a once-in-a-while baking therapy project. Kneading and braiding the dough, smelling the challah baking in the oven—it really is satisfying. And when the long braided loaf is presented at the dinner table, it is a sight to behold!
I owe much of the credit for this recipe to Nanci Hirschorn, one of my lovely readers, who has been perfecting her challah recipe for over thirty-five years. Thank you, Nanci, for all the pointers! Heads up: this recipe makes one 16-in loaf. It’s huge! If you have leftovers, use it to make French toast.
Challah is part of my yeast bread collection, which includes other enriched bread recipes, like brioche and babka—rich-tasting breads with a higher proportion of eggs, sugar, butter, and milk—as well as classics like no-knead artisan bread, focaccia, dinner rolls, and naan.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Challah
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure and body of the challah, forming the base of the dough.
- Instant/rapid-rise yeast: Acts as the leavening agent, helping the dough to rise and giving the bread its light and airy texture. Note that this type of yeast rises faster than regular active dry yeast. Yeast is sold in jars (as pictured) or individual packets. If you don’t do a lot of bread baking, it’s best to buy the packets; just note that the quantity required for this recipe (1 tablespoon) is more than one packet.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor
- Lukewarm water: Hydrates the flour, activates the yeast, and helps bind the ingredients together to form the dough.
- Vegetable oil: Adds richness and moisture to the bread, contributing to its soft and tender crumb.
- Honey: Sweetens the dough and adds moisture, while also contributing to the flavor and helping with browning.
- Eggs: Provide richness, moisture, and structure to the dough, giving the challah its characteristic golden color and tender texture. Be sure your eggs are room temperature; this dough is slow to rise and cold eggs will slow it down even further.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Challah
Step 1: Make The Dough
Begin by combining the lukewarm water, oil, honey, 2 of the eggs, and the egg yolk; whisk well and set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Mix to combine.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Then knead on medium-low speed until you have a sticky dough that clings to the bottom of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes. The dough may seem too wet but have faith—it’s supposed to be.
Dust your hands generously with flour, then scrape the sticky, elastic dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour. Knead into a soft, smooth ball.
Step 2: Let it Rise
Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl, flip it over once so the top is lightly oiled, and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it’s puffy and doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours. Keep in mind that when baking yeast breads, rising times are only a guide. The temperature in your kitchen, the humidity level outdoors, and how you knead the dough will all affect the rising time.
Step 3: Braid the Dough
If you have a little girl in your life, or were ever a summer camp counselor, you have an advantage with braiding challah. But even if not, I assure you it’s easy to do. There are dozens of methods, but I think this 4-strand braid is the easiest and the prettiest.
To begin, invert the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and dust with flour. It will deflate. Cut the dough into four even pieces. (If you want to be exact, each piece should weigh approximately 9 oz or 260 g.)
Stretch and roll each piece into a rope about 20-inches long. Lay the ropes parallel to one another (vertically). Pinch them tightly together at the top, and then fan them out. If the ropes shrink a bit, just work them back into their original length. Begin by taking the strand farthest to the right and weave it toward the left through the other strands using this pattern: over, under, over.
Take the strand furthest to the right and repeat the weaving pattern again: over, under, over.
Repeat this pattern, always starting with the strand farthest to the right, until the whole loaf is braided.
Tuck the ends under the loaf to give it a finished look.
Step 4: Let the Braided Dough Rise
Carefully transfer the braided loaf to a parchment-lined 13 x 18-inch baking sheet. Cover the loaf loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot until about 1.5 times the size, 1 to 2 hours. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. (Note that the loaf will continue to rise a bit in the oven.) In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg and brush the beaten egg generously over the risen dough. (Note: If you like, sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds onto the challah before putting it in the oven.)
Step 5: Bake
Place the baking sheet atop another baking sheet; this will prevent the bottom crust from browning too much. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is a rich brown color and the internal temperature is between 190°F and 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a rack to cool. Challah is best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers will keep for a few days in a sealed plastic bag.
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Challah
With its rich, slightly sweet flavor, shiny golden crust, and pillowy interior, challah isn’t just for the Jewish holidays — it appeals to everyone, any time!
Ingredients
- 4¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off, plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon instant/rapid-rise yeast (see note)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, yeast, and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the lukewarm water, oil, honey, 2 of the eggs, and the egg yolk. Add to the dry ingredients and knead on medium-low speed until you have a sticky dough that clings to the bottom of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes. The dough may seem too wet but have faith—it’s supposed to be.
- Dust your hands generously with flour, then scrape the sticky, elastic dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour and knead briefly into a soft, smooth ball. Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl, flip it over once so the top is lightly oiled, and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it's puffy and doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.
- Invert the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and dust with flour. It will deflate. Cut the dough into four even 9-oz pieces, and then stretch and roll each piece into a rope about 20-inches long. Lay the ropes parallel to one another (vertically). Pinch them tightly together at the top, and then fan them out. If the ropes shrink a bit, just work them back into their original length.
- Begin by taking the strand farthest to the right and weave it toward the left through the other strands using this pattern: over, under, over. Take the strand furthest to the right and repeat the weaving pattern again: over, under, over. Repeat this pattern, always starting with the strand farthest to the right, until the whole loaf is braided. Tuck the ends under to give the loaf a finished look.
- Carefully transfer the braided loaf to a parchment-lined 13 x 18-inch baking sheet. Cover the loaf loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot until about 1.5 times the size, 1 to 2 hours. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. (Note that the loaf will continue to rise significantly in the oven.)
- In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg and brush the beaten egg generously over the risen dough. (Note: If you like, sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds onto the challah before putting it in the oven.) Place the baking sheet atop another baking sheet; this will prevent the bottom crust from browning too much. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the crust is a rich brown color and the internal temperature is between 190°F and 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a rack to cool. Challah is best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers will keep for a few days in a sealed plastic bag.
- Note: If you're using yeast that comes in the packets, the quantity required for this recipe (1 tablespoon) is more than one packet.
- Note: Active dry yeast may be used instead of instant/rapid-rise yeast, however, the dough will take longer to rise.
- Note: When baking yeast breads, rising times are only a guide; the temperature in your kitchen, the humidity level outdoors, and how you knead the dough will all affect the rising time.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: Prepare the loaf up to the point where it's braided and on the pan. Cover it with greased plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, remove the braided dough from the refrigerator and set it on the countertop (keep it covered). Let it come to room temperature and rise for about 1 hour before baking as directed.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: Challah can be baked, cooled, tightly wrapped, and frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw at room temperature for at least 3 hours before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 206
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 126 mg
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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What is the suggested temperature for “lukewarm” water?
Hi Lesley, It should be between 100 and 110 degrees. Hope you enjoy the challah!
From your text, it seems like the bread needs to stay in the oven at 350 degrees. All wasted.
I love this recipe – it was my first attempt at challah! the fluffy bread, crispy (but not hard) crust, golden edges… ugh! So good!!! it was gone the next day. I love how versatile this is; we used it as the bread for our smoked brisket, and then French toast the following morning! All your recipes are the best!!
Hi, I made this on Friday and I’m in Arizona. My challah was so wet after all the flour still and I added more flour but it was still so wet. The challah ended up being great just extra wet. I suggest adding some sugar if you want it more sweet. Do you have any recommendations when it’s really wet? I could not even braid it. I definitely would make this again just find a way to not have it so wet.
Hi Madison glad the challah turned out well although the dough was challenging to work with. If you make this again and find it to be too wet, I would continue to add flour, just a little at a time until it gets to a more workable texture. Hope that helps!
This bread is absolutely wonderful! The flavor was amazing!! It’s funny, I used the instant yeast I had on hand which was apparently not fresh anymore, but even as a denser loaf it was still soft and so delicious. And the only thing I did differently was use a rosemary infused honey, because that’s all I had in my cupboards, but I couldn’t taste the rosemary myself. This loaf was such a hit, my mom asked me to make another loaf just a day after I made the first. Thank you so much-I love being able to pamper my parents with the things they enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
Happy Mother’s Day!
I made this bread for the first time with my son and it came out perfect! Thank you so much! I have your book and wanted to make the baked bourbon French toast. I was not paying attention that it should be the whole loaf of bread. In the recipe intro you said you use your leftovers. Is the toast going to be too soggy, sadly I did not reduce the egg mixture? Thanks
Hi Sonya, Glad you enjoyed the challah! The answer to your question really depends on how much challah you have left over. Do you have the majority of the loaf?
Hello,
Is it possible to make this into several challahs?
Thank you!
Sure, the bake time may be different though, so keep a close eye on them. Hope you enjoy!
Let me start off by saying that I cook and bake a lot but I have always been intimidated by baking breads and challahs. I finally decided to try baking this challah and it turned out fabulously. My husband gave me some pointers such as use a dough scraper which was a big help in working with sticky bread dough. Appreciate that you included internal temperature as I would have pulled it out too soon otherwise (top was golden but not cooked through yet). I was tempted to add some honey to the egg wash but glad I followed the recipe instead. Challah was perfect all around – texture, crust and sweetness level. Although my braid didn’t look quite as nice as your picture (although still very presentable ;)). Looking forward to giving it another try this Shabbat.
I am confused about the egg wash??? The recipe calls for 3 eggs, 2 whole and 1 yolk. So do I just use the leftover egg white for the wash or another whole egg???
Hi April, You’ll combine the water, oil, honey, 2 of the eggs and the egg yolk. You can discard the white from that egg that only requires the yolk. You’ll then use the last full egg for the egg wash. Hope that clarifies that you enjoy the challah!
I followed exactly. Your instructions are top notch! I was so excited to see the dough sticking at the bottom and the ball of dough was so beautiful! Braiding was a snap too! My soon to be 27 yr old son requested something else beside the usual goodies…I said bread? He said challah? Well, he never knew about challah til he moved to Manhattan. So I dived into Pinterest and at the top found your shared recipe. Before I even look at a recipe, I always check out the reviews. Fast forward, I made it today and by looking at it, you’d think I had made it all my life. I know this because friends on fb said so!🤣
I am not a fan of this bread. Neither is my husband. Toasted we liked it better. Oh well! My neighbor got half the loaf and she ate it out of the bag and LOVES IT!! But my son wants it with some soup next week and his wish is my command!
I wish I could share the photos…the finished loaf is magnificent! THANK YOU!
For our Shabbat dinner I baked this Challah and so far…THE BEST one. It was so delicious, soft, spongy that it is going to be for now on the challah on my table every Friday night!