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Challah Bread

Challah Bread is a rich and fluffy loaf full of flavor. A Jewish traditional loaf, this incredible bread is going to be a favorite in your family baking!
Prep Time2 hours
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Middle East
Keyword: challah, challah bread
Servings: 12 slices
Author: Alyssa Rivers

Ingredients

  • 4-4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon dry active yeast
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup warm water
  • ½ cup Vegetable oil
  • 1 egg yolk for egg wash
  • Poppy Seeds optional
  • Sesame Seeds optional

Instructions

Making the dough

  • Mix 4 cups of flour with the other dry ingredients together in bowl of stand mixer.
  • Add the wet ingredients (make sure the water is just barely warm—don’t kill the yeast!) and mix at medium low speed with dough hook until combined. If the dough is still sticky, add the additional ¼ cup of flour. Scrape the bowl to make sure all the flour is incorporated.
  • Mix at low speed until smooth, about five minutes.
  • Once smooth, dump dough on a lightly floured counter and gently form into a ball. Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise.
  • Let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Forming the braid

  • Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Once the dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
  • Using a sharp knife or pizza roller, cut the dough into two equal sections and using your hands, very gently roll into a large log about 12 inches long. From here you can cut each log into either 6 strands or 3, depending on your preference, but keep them attached at one end (see photo for example).
  • Being careful to handle the dough gently and not stretch out the strands of dough, braid the strands together in a traditional 3 strand braid or a 6 strand braid (see photo for step-by-step example). Once the strands are too short to continue braiding, pinch together and tuck under to form the end of the loaf. The top of the loaf can be pinched and tucked to match.
  • Place the loaf on a greased baking sheet or parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Mix a little water (about a teaspoon) with the egg yolk and use a pastry brush to coat the dough evenly. Sprinkle on optional sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
  • Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.
  • Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Notes

Makes: 2 large loaves, or 4 small loaves
 

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 67IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 2mg

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