Challah
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You May Also Like
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
hey Jenn! As a revision to my earlier comments, I found the reviews! I seemed to have the same issues as others in that my dough wasn’t sticky at all, it came together around the dough hook quickly, and I did not knead it any further, so I’m thinking this could be why I didn’t get a great rise, at least not yet! I’m not giving up, and thanks for all the amazing pics!
Can I use bread flour for this recipe? Thanks!
I don’t recommend it, T.A — sorry!
I’m planning on making this tomorrow, however, there are only 3 of us in the house so I was going to half the recipe. I just half it down the middle, but how would I half the egg yolk? And baking time would be cut in half or no?
Thank you
Hi Debbie, I think you could just add the full yolk. Baking time will be a bit less, but not half. I’d start checking around 20 minutes.
Do you have an opinion on SAF instant red yeast vs gold yeast for this recipe? It seems gold is for sweet breads and that’s what this is right? Thanks Jenn!!!!!
Hi Kristina, Any instant yeast will work, but I’d recommend SAF yeast> It’s actually ideal for challah and all other sweet bread dough. Hope you enjoy!
I made your recipe for Challah for the first time two days ago. It was simply perfect! I made more to give to family and friends yesterday, and now the requests for more are pouring in! This morning, I used the challah to make your Challah French Toast. Perfection! Can I make this recipe into two loaves to bake in loaf pans? If so, how long would I bake them for?
Thank you for your lovely, simple, and delicious recipes!
So glad this was such a hit! I’ve never tried it, but I do think you could bake this in loaf pans. I suspect it should take about 30 minutes but keep a close eye on them!
30 minutes for two braided loaves is perfect. Thank you.
Glad to hear it — thanks for reporting back! 🙂
I made this recipe today and baked the bread in two loaf pans for 25 minutes. The loaves turned out amazingly well. I baked them in my Wolf convection steam oven on the auto steam bake setting at 350. So delicious! Great for breakfast, sandwiches, or snacks.
So glad it worked out well — thanks for reporting back! 🙂
Delicious! I made it work with active dry yeast dissolved in water before I added it, and I replaced all purpose flour with bread flour. Great photos for making the braid.
Hi Jennifer and Jenn!I too have only active dry yeast on hand and I was wondering with how much water did you dissolve it with first? Also did you add the 3/4 cups of water listed in the ingredients as well or did you leave it out? Thanks, Mel
Melanie, I made this today using active dry yeast. I proofed it by dissolving it in the 3/4 cup of lukewarm water called in the recipe and added 2 tsp sugar. I mix the eggs with the oil and honey separately and then added that and the water/yeast mixture to my mixer. From that point on followed recipe as is! Bread came out delicious!
Awesome!! thanks so much Carolina! Will definitely try this on the weekend
I would like to make the dough in the evening (put the dough in the fridge)and then in the morning braid the dough and make the challah with my grandkids.
Is that possible???
So….at what point in the process is the dough put in the fridge?
Hi Rickie, yes, it’s fine for you to refrigerate the dough overnight and take it out in the morning. I’d put it in after the first rise and let it sit on the counter for about 30 minutes before you start braiding it. Hope that helps and that it’s a fun project with your grandkids!
This is a wonderful recipe. I have tried making challah numerous times and this one is the best. Jenn—i only have one packet of yeast in the house. All the stores are sold out during this crazy time. Any recommendations as to how to modify the recipe? Thank you.
If you’re able to do the math, 2/3 of the recipe would be perfect. If not cutting the recipe in half would work too. As you know, it makes a really big loaf so you’ll still have plenty to eat!
Jenn – as we came to the end of our first week of ‘social distancing’, my year old son and I baked this challah. He normally celebrated Shabbat at school with his preschool class and was really missing that ritual even though we do Shabbat dinner at home. Baking this, and figuring out the braiding was such a lovely way to get back to some sense of normalcy. I hope you and your family are doing ok amidst all of this.
Hi, I only have Active Dry Yeast and not instant, can I use that? What would the quantity be?
Hi Michelle, the quantity would be the same (just keep in mind that it will take longer to rise). Hope you enjoy!
Did the dry active yeast work?
We have made this recipe before and it was sooo yummy. I’m planning on making it today with my kids as an activity and getting ready for shabbat.
Our local grocery store ran out of sliced bread (panic buying) so I decided to make my own bread and give this recipe a try. I used my bread machine’s “dough cycle” for Steps 1-2, which in my machine takes about two hours. All of the wet ingredients (per recipe) were placed first into the bread machine followed by the dry ingredients with the yeast being last. I did use bread machine flour for this recipe. At the end of two hours in the bread machine, the dough was easy to work with and I was surprised how easy it was to braid the bread thanks to the detailed instructions. Steps 3-5 were exactly per recipe. The result was a beautiful bread that tasted amazing!. I’ll definitely be making this one again. Thanks Jenn!
So glad you enjoyed it and glad to hear the bread machine worked nicely!