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
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
NOTES
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.
Jessica says
Oh one more question. My braids sort of ran together during that final rising. What do I need to do differently to keep that nice definition? Thanks!
Tori Avey says
Hi Jessica! Based on your previous comment, my guess is that you didn’t quite add enough flour to the dough. It shouldn’t be sticky. It’s really a feel thing, you’ll get familiar with the “right” way for the dough to feel. Just add a little at a time, only until it’s not sticky/web-like. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Jessica says
Delicious. Tasty. Fluffy. I followed the recipe exactly, including adding raisins throughout the kneading process. It takes a long time so you kind of have to plan your day around it. One question is about a phrase that is used in most bread recipes is to “add flour til the dough is no longer sticky.” However, when I took that literally for another recipe, I wound up adding waaaay too much flour and the bread came out like a hockey puck. So this time I stopped adding flour when I reached the maximum amount suggested in the recipe even though the dough was hanging off my fingers like Spiderman’s web shooter. Anyway I made 3 smaller loaves since I was making them for gifts.
Eric says
Yes!
Taylor says
I find that kneading with a dough scraper can help a reluctant dough start to take shape and become elastic. Can save you from adding too much flour to scrape it into shape first.
Tori Avey says
Great tip!
Simcha Stephens says
Tori – we love your recipes! But now I require a sugar free / low carb diet. Do you have any recommendations for a sugar free / low carb challah? I sure miss this weekly treat.
Todah Rabah
Simcha
Tori Avey says
Hi Simcha! Sugar free wouldn’t be an issue, but low carb would be tough! Not sure I have much guidance for you here. Maybe try searching Paleo challah? I’ll continue thinking about this…
Shaina says
Try using quinoa flour. It’s gluten free.
Tori Avey says
I wouldn’t recommend quinoa flour as a sub in this recipe, gluten free flours don’t have the flexibility needed to braid and make strands.
Valerie F. says
I’ve made this twice now and both times it’s come out wonderfully. I got fresh yeast for the second time and that made a huge difference in the density. Thank you for the detailed instructions. I’m not the most experienced bread-maker, but this was very easy to follow.
Ruth S. says
I’ve been making challah for quite some time, but this came out best of all the recipes I’ve tried–and I’ve tried some from some pretty well-known Jewish food mavens. Your directions are super-clear and detailed, which helps a lot. The extra risings and the excellent descriptions of braiding finally helped me overcome some consistent problems I’ve had with too-dense loaves and badly shaped ones. Thanks for your excellent blog, which I use for lots of ideas and recipes for the Jewish holidays.
Tori Avey says
Glad to hear it Ruth! Thank you for writing. 🙂
Sebastian says
At what point should the sesame seeds be added on top?
Thanks
Sebastian
London
Tori Avey says
After the first egg wash is brushed on top of the dough.
Dishi says
Hello
I’m going to try this recipe. Can the dough be frozen? Also can I leave to rise overnight and bake it in the morning?
Thanks
Dishi
Amie says
Decided to try out a new recipe for Shabbos, and boy am I happy that I did! What a hit! My family absolutely LOVED this! Super yummy, excellent flavor and texture, color is beautiful too. I used a baking stone, and didn’t bother rotating during baking and it came out amazing (baked for 30 minutes instead of 40). Thank you for sharing this recipe with us!
Jennifer says
I really appreciate the step by step tutorial, now lets get to that oh so sweet, good and delicious smells that just brought memories of my grandmother making homemade breads in her home. I was like yessssss! I felt like I had my grandmother with me.
Thank you Tori, not just for the delicious recipe, but the walk down memory lane. ?
Seth שת says
I have used this recipe countless times, modifying it as desired. It comes out great every time. Thanks!
Schatzi says
I make an Italian Easter challah with the addition of sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla in the shape of a dove. Thank you for the tip to re-coat the bread after 20 minutes.
Gut yontif!
Karen says
Thank you so much for your help. Wish us luck! I’ve made four batches and we will braid & bake tonight. Our congregation retreat is this weekend! 🙂
Karen says
Hi Tori,
What is the best way to make the dough in advance? How do I store it? I’m assuming I will need to bring it to room temperature before braiding it. I’m doing a group challah “lesson” at my shul and we are baking the challah for a temple retreat this weekend. Thank you in advance!
Shalom,
Karen
Tori Avey says
The dough can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 4 days (refrigeration slows the proofing process). You can also freeze it if you need to make it even further ahead, but you will need to let it return to room temperature before braiding.
Valderrama Greiff says
Easy to follow with great results! Bread is the perfect texture and watching it grow in the oven was super exciting! Stopping half way to coat it with egg wash and to turn it worked really well as this dough almost tripled in size. This is my second try at Challah and this will always be my recipe!
Ettel says
Love this recipe and all your recipes. I have found this new bagel seasoning on amazon that is much better than Trader Joe’s and is delicious on top of the challah
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ND3FKY8?ref=myi_title_dp
H Baker says
This was perfect! I used my kitchenaid mixer instead of hand mixing—about 6 min. I was so skeptical but it tastes like the Challah I buy from the famous bakery in SF. First time bread baker. Amazing!
Alicia says
Hi! What speed did you have the mixer on? I was going to use mine as well but wasn’t sure what speed works best…
Nicole says
What a wonderful recipe! This was my first time ever making challah and your detailed recipe made it quite an easy experience for me. I made two medium sized breads, one with everything bagel seasoning and one plain. The flavor was absolutely delicious, but the texture itself was a little bit too dense – which I can probably attribute to over-kneading. Any advice on the “correct” amount of kneading throughout the challah making process? Thanks 🙂
Sarah says
This is fantastic, it has just the right amount of sweetness. This will be my go to Challah from now on. Thank you for the recipe:)
Ohi says
This is the perfect challah! The balance of sweetness is just right. Just to clarify in terms of grams for people outside of the US, I used about 800g flour and 112g honey substituting the oil for 20g melted butter
Esther says
Just made this for the first time yesterday – it was so tasty, and it was so fun to braid.
I did have a question though – are you supposed to reheat the pan of water to place in the oven for the final rising? My loaves did not rise very much, and I am trying to figure out if it’s because I put them in too cool an environment to rise, or if it’s because of something else (overkneading, etc).
Tori Avey says
Reheating the water can help. The second rise may be slower depending on weather and humidity conditions. Sometimes it’s just a matter of waiting longer too… giving it ample time to puff up. Glad you enjoyed it!
Lisa says
Hi, can I use rapid yeast for this recipee?
Tori Avey says
Yes.
Helena says
Hello! My bread’s in the oven right now and it smells amazing. I’m just wondering, though, is it easy enough to halve this recipe? Or could I make the full recipe and freeze half the dough, for perhaps a month or so? I’m just coming to the realization that this large loaf *might* just be a little too much for my boyfriend and me….
Tori Avey says
You can certainly freeze the dough!