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
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.
Nutrition
Hi Tori!
Love your recipes!
If I’m reading right, this challah has three rises. That really works? Im not new to bread, but have never had three raises
Thanks!
It does rise a third time in braid form, yes.
Do you think it would work to do both rises, then braid and THEN fridge overnight? I need to bake it very early in the morning and want to minimize the amount of time required hands on
Thanks!
Hi Hailie, I do think that would probably work fine.
It was my first time making this challah recipe, and it came out perfectly! Over the years I’ve tried other challah recipes and failed. I don’t have much experience baking, but I wanted so badly to be able to have a good homemade challah. I followed this recipe exactly, and I’m so impressed with how it came out. The house smelled incredible. It had the perfect nostalgic taste and texture. Keeping it near boiled water while rising really did the trick. A lot of times I find that my bread doesn’t rise properly, so I’m going to use this technique for other recipes. Can’t wait to make this again! Now I just need to work on my braiding skills.
i absolutely cannot wait to make this. my mom used to make the rolls for every holiday and said they were yeast rolls, only to find out that no, she basically makes challah. my only question would be, if i want to make this into rolls instead of braiding, would you recommend a change to baking temp or time?
BEST.CHALLAH.EVER! I consider myself a ‘decent’ cook but have always shied away from breads-just thought they were too difficult to get right. My daughter recently persuaded me to try working with sourdough and I have found it not only fun but very satisfying to see the dough take shape. Being I live very remotely, (and there is nowhere for me to buy traditional challah) I wanted to have one for the holiday. After viewing many recipes, I thought yours looked best…and it was! Your recipe was very easy to follow (especially for someone new to baking breads) and the pictures and braiding tutorial were of great help. The end result was not only beautiful but extremely tasty, and the perfect pairing with my pot roast. I judge recipes by whether they are ‘company worthy’ and this one definitely is! Thank you…
Thank you Tori, I’ve always been scared to make Chalkah. I followed your recipe exactly and I have 2 of the most beautiful challahs.
I’ve made this before and it tasted great but it was huge and so the strands all kind of made one big one. If I divide the dough in half, what do I do with the extra challah while waiting for the one to bake? Thank you
You can place half of the dough covered in the refrigerator until ready to braid. Glad you’re enjoying it!
Hi,
I’m a little confused, sorry. If I make the dough tonite, overnight in the fridge (1st rise),
then tomorrow take it out. Do I punch it down and let rise again (in the oven with damp towel and boiling water underneath) and then proceed with braiding?
sorry to bother you
You can do it that way, however I usually prefer to do the second rise in the refrigerator, not the first.
Good morning! Shana tova to you and your family!
I have a question, I have been making your challah for years!! The best!! Can I do the dough the night before and refrigerate it? Once I do that do I let it rise again before the braiding process? I’ve never done that, always same day. I have a little time problem and this would help!! I’m also making your apple cake which is awesome and trying the babka recipie so you can see doing a lot!! This would make it easier.
Thank you!!
After the first rise and before the second rise, place in the refrigerator and allow it to slowly rise in the fridge for up to 24 hours. You can also freeze after the first rise, before the second rise – on the morning you plan to bake it, put it in the refrigerator to thaw slowly. It will need to rise one last time before baking.
Hello Tori! I have made this challah stuffed with apples for Rosh Hashanah, and not only is it beautiful, but totally delicious!
I wondered how many pounds of dough this recipe makes – in the stuffed challah recipe you provide you call for 2 pounds of dough – is this recipe used in total then for one round loaf?
Thank you in advance!!!
My go-to challah. To halve the recipe, I use 2 eggs, and save the white from one for the wash. The texture won’t change if you make 1/3 of the flour whole wheat.
I love this recipe so much! I really liked your unique methods, I can’t wait to use this recipe again and others you’ve created :]
Happy to hear that!
I have been using this recipe for years and is is great. If you are new to baking this is the recipe for you.
Todah Rabbah! This is the best and only challah recipe you will ever need. Making it is such a spiritual and joyful experience!
It also tastes amazing every single time without fail!
HELLO TORY,
I JUST WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU. I TRIED YOUR RECIPE FOR CHALLAH BREAD, IT WAS MAGNIFICENT. I MADE IT A SECOND TIME, AND IT WAS GREAT. FIRST ONE I DID A 4 BRAID AS YOUR INSTRUCTIONS IT WAS SO GOOD Y MADE IT AGAIN WITH A3 BRAID IN A 12 X 5 TIN. JUST AS GREAT. WITH WHAT WAS LEFT WE MADE YOUR CHALLAH FRENCH TOAST AND IT WAS ALSO GRAET, THANK YOU FOR YOUR RECIPES AND THE GREAT MEMORIS THE LEAVE US WHEN WE TRY THEM. GOD BLESS.
Glad you enjoyed it Carlos!