Challah
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4.8
903 reviews
Excellent
Challah
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This Challah recipe yields a rich, braided bread with a golden crust, made from a combination of eggs, honey, and oil, providing a slightly sweet and tender crumb. The dough requires yeast activation and flour incorporation to develop structure, resulting in a versatile bread that can be shaped into one large loaf, two medium challahs, or 24 mini rolls. Optional ingredients like raisins or chocolate chips add variations, while toppings like sesame or poppy seeds can enhance texture and flavor. The method emphasizes proper yeast proofing and dough handling for best results.
Description
Challah is a traditional egg-enriched bread notable for its soft crumb and subtly sweet taste, enhanced by honey and avocado oil in this recipe. The dough begins with activating yeast in lukewarm water and sugar, an essential step to ensure proper rising and a light texture. Eggs and egg yolks contribute to the bread’s richness and golden color. The dough is built gradually by mixing in all-purpose flour, creating a pliable dough ideal for braiding. Optional mix-ins like raisins or chocolate chips allow customization.
The bread’s characteristic shiny crust comes from an egg wash applied before baking, which can be sprinkled with seeds or salt for added interest. This recipe’s flexibility in loaf size offers options for various serving needs, with the method suggesting dividing the dough for ease of handling and shaping. The resulting Challah is gently sweet and tender, suitable for sandwiches or as a table centerpiece.
Kitchen tools needed include a large bowl, whisk, and pastry brush. The recipe recommends accurate yeast measurement and temperature control to ensure the best rise. Handling and kneading the dough appropriately contribute to the bread’s tender texture and structure.
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Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water lukewarm, divided
- 1 packet active dry yeast (1 packet is equivalent to 2 1/4 tsp or .25 ounce active dry yeast) - you may substitute 1 3/4 teaspoons of instant yeast or .6 ounce compressed fresh yeast (1 small cake)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 large egg yolk
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tbsp avocado oil (I prefer avocado oil for flavor and health reasons - you may substitute sunflower oil or canola oil)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 1/2-6 cups all-purpose flour PLEASE NOTE - if you are using the metric conversion tool on this recipe, the flour is not updating correctly. The correct metric measurements for flour are 562.5 to 750 grams (do not change the recipe serving sizes or it will not work
Egg Wash Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water cold
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional Ingredients
- raisin 1 ½ cups of either
- chocolate chips 1 ½ cups of either
Optional Toppings
- sesame seeds
- poppy seeds
- kosher salt
Instructions
- Pour ¼ cup of the lukewarm water (about 110 degrees) into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 packet of active dry yeast and 1 tsp of sugar to the bowl, stir to dissolve. Wait 10 minutes. The yeast should have activated, meaning it will look expanded and foamy. If it doesn’t, your yeast may have expired, which means your bread won’t rise—go buy some fresh yeast! This step Is called "proofing" the yeast - if you're using instant yeast you can skip this step and simply add the yeast to your dry ingredients. If you're using fresh yeast (or compressed or cake yeast), simply stir it into the lukewarm water to dissolve, then add the remaining wet ingredients - no need to wait for proofing.
- Once your yeast has activated, add remaining 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water to the bowl along with the egg, egg yolks, honey, oil, and salt. Use a whisk to thoroughly blend the ingredients together.
- Begin adding the flour to the bowl by half-cupfuls, stirring with a large spoon each time flour is added. When mixture becomes too thick to stir, use your hands to knead.Continue to add flour and knead the dough until it’s smooth, elastic, and not sticky. The amount of flour you will need to achieve this texture varies—only add flour until the dough feels pliable and “right.” If you plan to add raisins or chocolate chips to the challah, incorporate into the dough as you knead.
- Place a saucepan full of water on the stove to boil.Meanwhile, remove the dough from your mixing bowl and wash out the bowl. Grease the bowl with oil. Push the dough back into the bottom of the bowl, then flip it over so that both sides are slightly moistened by the oil.
- Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Place the bowl of dough on the middle rack of your oven. Take the saucepan full of boiling water and place it below the rack where your dough sits. Close the oven, but do not turn it on. The pan of hot water will create a warm, moist environment for your dough to rise. Let the dough rise for 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size. This may take longer depending on a number of things, including weather conditions... be patient! It's important to let the dough rise for best results.
- Take the dough bowl out and punch it down several times to remove air pockets.
- Place it back inside the oven and let it rise for 1 hour longer, or until the dough doubles in size.
- Take the dough out of the oven. Flour a smooth surface like a cutting board. Punch the dough down into the bowl a few times, then turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Knead for a few minutes, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from feeling sticky.
- Now your dough is ready to braid. If you plan to separate and bless the challah, do it prior to braiding. Click here to learn how to braid challah.After you’ve braided your challah, place it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (this will catch any spills from your egg wash and keep your challah from sticking to the cookie sheet).Note: I usually only put a single challah braid on a cookie sheet, since they tend to expand a lot when baking.
- Prepare your egg wash by beating the egg, salt and water till smooth. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of the mixture onto the visible surface of your challah. If you're adding sesame seeds or some other topping, sprinkle it on the damp dough now - the egg wash helps it stick. Reserve the leftover egg wash.
- Let the braid rise 30 to 45 minutes longer. You’ll know the dough is ready to bake when you press your finger into the dough and the indentation stays, rather than bouncing back.Heat oven to 350 degrees F. The challah needs to bake for about 40 minutes total, but to get the best result the baking should be done in stages. First, set your timer to 20 minutes and put your challah in the oven.
- After 20 minutes, take the challah out of the oven and coat the center of the braid with another thin layer of egg wash. This area tends to expand during baking, exposing areas that will turn white unless they are coated with egg wash.Turn the tray around, so the opposite side is facing front, and put the tray back into the oven. Turning the tray helps your challah brown evenly—the back of the oven is usually hotter than the front.
- The challah will need to bake for about 20 minutes longer. For this last part of the baking process, keep an eye on your challah—it may be browning faster than it’s baking. Once the challah is browned to your liking, take the tray out and tent it with foil, then place it back in the oven. Remove the foil for the last 2 minutes of baking time.Take the challah out of the oven. At this point your house should smell delicious. You can test the bread for doneness by turning it over and tapping on the bottom of the loaf—if it makes a hollow sound, it’s done. Let challah cool on the baking sheet or a wire cooling rack before serving.
Notes
- This recipe can produce one large loaf, two medium challahs, or 24 mini rolls, so adjust shaping based on your preference and handling ease.
- If using rapid rise yeast, omit the proofing step and adjust water temperature to about 110-120°F; use 1 teaspoon plus 3/4 teaspoon of rapid rise yeast per batch.
- Ensure yeast is fresh and water is lukewarm to activate properly; otherwise, the bread may not rise well.
- Avocado oil is preferred for flavor, but sunflower or canola oil can substitute.
Nutrition Information
Show Details
Calories
124kcal
(6%)
Carbohydrates
22g
(7%)
Protein
3g
(6%)
Fat
2g
(3%)
Cholesterol
38mg
(13%)
Sodium
250mg
(10%)
Potassium
38mg
(1%)
Sugar
4g
(8%)
Vitamin A
55IU
(1%)
Calcium
9mg
(1%)
Iron
1.2mg
(7%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 24servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 124 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 124kcal | 6% |
| Carbohydrates | 22g | 7% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 2g | 3% |
| Cholesterol | 38mg | 13% |
| Sodium | 250mg | 10% |
| Potassium | 38mg | 1% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 55IU | 1% |
| Calcium | 9mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1.2mg | 7% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Genuine Reviews
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Overall Rating
4.8
903 reviews
Excellent
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