Is there any food that reflects the beauty of Judaism more than a freshly baked challah? Jews and non-Jews alike love the flavor and shape of this delicious eggy bread.
But challah is so much more than just bread. The tradition of challah is a very spiritual one; for observant Jews, it is a way to directly connect with the spiritual energy of God. In fact, baking challah is considered an important blessing in the Jewish home.
Today, the word challah is used to describe the beautiful loaf of braided bread that appears on Shabbat tables all over the world. In ancient times, challah referred to a small bit of dough that was set aside for the Temple priests as an offering to God:
Of the first of your dough you shall present a loaf as a contribution; like a contribution from the threshing floor, so shall you present it.
Numbers 15:20
Burning a small portion of dough as an offering is part of the challah blessing.
Traditionally, challah is served on Shabbat and holidays. I like to think of challah as a “special occasion” bread because of the time and effort that goes into making it. You can certainly make challah any day of the year, but in my home the process is reserved for Shabbat and the major Jewish holidays (except for Passover, of course, when leavened bread is not allowed).
The smell of freshly baked challah ushers in our weekly Shabbat celebration and puts everybody in a mood of gratitude. As blog reader Rabbi Gershon Steinberg-Caudill put it—“I love it when I finish making my Shabbat Challah. It smells like Shabbat!”
The ritual associated with separating and blessing the challah is a somewhat complex process, dependent on the size of challah you are baking and your level of observance. Customs vary according to Halachic opinion; Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditions approach the blessing differently. If you are interested in learning more about the process of separating challah, there are many guides available online… or ask a trusted rabbi!
For me, baking challah is like a meditation. Kneading and rising, kneading again, shaping, braiding and baking— it all takes a lot more time than baking brownies from an instant mix. Smelling the bread baking, then seeing your gloriously braided challah on the dinner table, really makes it all worthwhile. I hope this blog inspires you to try it yourself!
The following recipe is my favorite way to make challah, developed after many attempts to create a “foolproof” challah recipe. It’s a rich, moist, eggy challah sweetened with honey.
The multiple risings create a beautiful texture, and the egg wash results in a gorgeous golden crust. Feel free to sprinkle your challah with any of the toppings suggested in the recipe. You also can add raisins or chocolate chips to the dough (adding real chocolate will make it a dairy recipe). No matter which way you choose to make it, challah is a delicious way to celebrate Shabbat, or any other holiday.
If you’ve never made challah before, remember to be patient. Baking challah is a simple process, but it does take time and effort. You may need to try it a few times to get a “feel” for the dough. If you follow my instructions exactly, you should be fine— I’ve tried to describe each step very carefully and specifically. Comment me if you have any questions.
For instructions on how to braid your challah, click the following link:
Challah Part 2: How to Braid Challah.
Good luck! 🙂
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Challah
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, 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 yolks
- 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 cold water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional Ingredients
- Raisins, 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
Nutrition
would be great if there is a weight conversation of all the measures instead of purely by volume. i tried the recipe the first time and ended up using about 6 cups with mix of APF and bread, but these are unbranded flours. usually any bread recipe/formula can be halved or doubled as long as the measures are based on weight. it really felt like a sticky dough, is it supposed to have really high hydration (the honey contributes to that)? i ended up adding more egg white than intended and it was still fluffy, which i have seen in other recipes. would less egg white make for a fluffier loaf?
I am working on converting the recipes site-wide to a system that supports metric measurements, thank you for your patience. Egg white doesn’t really make it fluffier, that I know of– the addition of egg yolk helps for a richer flavor to the dough, but I don’t think adding more egg white should change the texture much at all.
I have already made the challah twice. It turned out perfect & looked so beautiful. Baking it gave me immense satisfaction& filled my heart with joy. Thanks tori for the recipe & explaining everything so nicely.
Best way to make Challah: Make it once every month for a year. Each time modify the recipe a little until you get the results you want. Water, milk, one egg or two, butter or oil. I’ve found that people like a traditional flavor, but improvements are usually welcome.
I have been looking for a good Challah recipe. I have now found one.
Oh, Tori, I made my perfect Challah. It is moist and sinfully rich.
First, since I am a shiksa and my neighbor is not orthodox, I made some small changes. My Challah is not pareve. I used milk, instead of water. I used butter instead of oil. I used ¼ cup butter. Then I reduced the milk by ¼ cup and added ¼ cup more butter. Together I used 8 Tbs of butter.
Second, instead of baking 2 loaves on 2 baking sheets on 2 different oven levels at the same time, I braided 3 small loaves and placed them across one baking sheet, East to West (instead North to South). Third, I baked all 3 Challahs at once but only 28 minutes.
David loved it! I love it too! In fact, the bread is easily refreshed in microwave oven (6 seconds for each slice). Your recipe with honey is the best! I cannot thank you enough. I will make your Challah often. I just have to find more neighbors to share this wonder with.
Fabulous! So happy you like the recipe Ela 🙂
I am gluten free but would love to try this recipe. King Arthur make a gluten free one for one measure all purpose flour. Would this work or do you have another alternative that I could try.
Thanks for your help
Hi Elaine, I have been working on developing a gluten free challah but no luck so far. Cup for cup will not work as gluten provides the elasticity for the braiding. If I find the right combination I’ll be sure to post it!
I have seen silicone Challah pans on amazon, with a shape that simulates the braiding. I wonder if this might work for gluten free bread
I haven’t tried it yet, but can I use quick yeast? If so how much? How much in ounces/grams is a cup of flour, or liquid? Thanks
Hi Doreen, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. This recipe is best as written, so I wouldn’t recommend quick yeast.
Hi, Tori, I made your Challah yesterday, for the first time in my life and the 2 loaves came out quite wonderful. I could not believe my luck. I gave one loaf to my Jewish neighbor who was the one to encourage me to try. But I think that I overbaked the bread a bit. Do you think that maybe it would be OK to bake 30 min. instead of 40 minutes? I baked both loaves at the same time on 2 racks. Maybe the oven generated too much heat? They came out deep golden brown. David was very complimentary of my Challah. I promised his wife to always give him one loaf, that is why I strive for perfection.
Thanks for you wonderful recipe!
Hi Ela! Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. For challah, you should bake until internal temperature reaches 190 degrees Fahrenheit as measured on an instant read thermometer, or until it sounds hollow when you tap the bottom of the loaf. You can definitely try baking it for a shorter time period, but do make sure you test for doneness using one or both of these methods.
So I’m very pleased with my challah, however, the bottom seems almost burnt when compared to the top. Is there any way to prevent the bottom from over baking?
Next time try baking in the center of the oven, if you didn’t already do so. You can also sprinkle some course ground corn meal on the baking sheet prior to baking, which will create a separation between the sheet and the challah and reduce the chance of burning.
I made the challah yesterday and tasted it hot from the oven. It was awesome. Light and airy, butter melted into the bread – what could be better. One curious thing though, the aroma of baking bread came long before the bread was baking. By the time I put it on the first rise, that heavenly aroma permeated the house, bringing the curious to the kitchen. This has never happened before.
I have bought challah bread from many Jewish bakeries. They were really light airy, and flavourful. I tried this recipe but unfortunately I did not like it. The bread was very dense and had a yeasty flavour. It was not light, spongy, and airy. I wonder if I did something wrong or if they bread supposed to be this way. Please advise. I want to get it right next time.
Hi Kathy, sorry to hear this wasn’t up to your expectations. Dense bread comes from overkneading, and from using bread flour rather than all purpose. If you try it again, please make sure you’re using all purpose flour, and only knead until it comes together. As a homemade handmade bread it will have a different texture than store-bought machine-made breads, but it shouldn’t be overly dense.
Thank you so much for your prompt Reply Tori. I really appreciate it. I will try it again and follow your
advice. Some bread recipes call for honey and/or more sugar than yours. Is it ok to make it sweeter? Also, will it turn out better if I use fresh yeast as opposed to dry yeast? And why did they bread have a yeasty flavor?
Thanks so much! Our first try at challah in years..and this recipe was spot-on! Happy New Year all. We recently moved to an area where challah (and matzah) are unavailable, but no more worries. Will see if you also blog baking matzah!
This is the best and easiest challah I have ever made! I used my Kenmore mixer and took hardly no time at all. (Just till the dough pulled away from the sides) I made 2 turbans out of your recipe with raisins for the Holiday. They look so impressive like I am a professional baker. I will no longer be going to the bakery to buy challah.
Shana Tovaha
The recipe sounds wonderful. I plan to bake it today. My question is can you tell me the amount of yeast in tsp. Further can I substitute all purpose flour with whole wheat flour.Thanks once again for such a nice recipe.
Hi Charu, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. One packet of yeast contains 2 1/4 tsp. I wouldn’t recommend substituting the AP flour with whole wheat since I can’t guarantee great results.
Hello,
I love you recipe. I made one large Challah and despite a series of mishaps, it came out beautifully! Thank you so much for this!
My question is: When you divide the dough into 2 separate challahs, how long is the bake time for the smaller loaves? Should it be 20mins total?
Hi Marcie! Glad you enjoyed the recipe. I would start checking the challah at 25-30 minutes and continue checking until done. Best to monitor it closely and use the tap test for doneness– if it sounds hollow inside, it is done. You can also stick an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the challah– when it reads 190, it is baked all the way through.
I have baked many other types of bread at home but this was my first try at challah. The step by step instructions were perfect and the challah came out amazing. My family loved it and it was the star at our Rosh Hashana dinner. No one even touched the store baked loaves (seriously, they weren’t even cut). I made one loaf and used your link braiding method for a round loaf, it was huge! I will definitely be making this again, trying some of your fancier braids and even the rolls. It is well worth the time it takes and will be a new tradition for my family. Thank you Tori!
You have a great site. I scour the net and almost always come back to you. In that vein, can this recipe be converted to make a water (eggless) chalah?
Shana tova
Mark
Hi Mark, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. We have not experimented with this recipe as an eggless challah, so unfortunately I cannot advise.
Can you use a kitchen aide mixer to knead dough?
Yes, just be careful not to overknead– knead only until the dough comes together and becomes flexible. Overkneading will lead to dense bread.
Hi Tori, I am wondering if it’s okay to make four smaller round loaves with this recipe, instead of two big ones? If so, should I reduce baking time? Thanks so much!
Hi Liz, I just answered this question from another reader, please check comments below.
I loved the challah. The flavor was so good. I made mine into a circle for Rosh Hashana. I divided the dough to make 2 medium challah. I think I might have left the dough log too thick. The challah was a little dense. I think I need to cook it longer and make the log thinner. Would that fix my problem?
Thanks,
Amy
The issue is likely that the dough was “overkneaded.” When you work the dough too much beforehand, it can become dense. Another issue might be that you didn’t leave it to rise long enough. Try a longer rise and less kneading next time, this should help. Good luck!