How To Make Challa Bread

Must Try

Challah Is The Kind Of Bread That Tastes As Decadent As It Looks It Can Also Be A Little Intimidating To Make So We’re Here To Help You Master The Classic Loaf

How To Make Braided Challah Bread
  • Pin
  • Email

With its stretchy, fluffy, yolk-yellow crumb and its stylish braid, challah is a fundamentally luxurious bread. Whether you’re making the perfect chicken salad sandwich, whipping up some French toast, or commemorating the history of your people with a loaf imbued with extravagant symbolism, chances are challah won’t just do the trickit may be the only bread that will satisfy your craving.

While you may not have trouble finding good challah at your local bakery, there are some compelling reasons to bake the iconic loaf yourself. For starters, it can be made easily in any home kitchen, with any experience level, in just a few hours, with delicious results. And most likely, if you’re taking on this project, you’re doing it out of passion and indulgence, food and labor costs be damned. Given its exceptionally high proportion of egg yolks, this particular challah recipe is considerably richer than profit margins would allow for in any bakery, and let me tell youthat’s a very good thing.

But what is challah exactly, and what makes it different from other sweet, enriched breads? Why does it contain so many eggs, and why does it have that flashy, glossy braided face? I’ll take you through a little bit of history, and a not-too-convoluted chunk of chemistry, to make sense of it all.

Why Is Challah Bread Braided

The bread can be made in any shape or size but the traditional way is to braid three strands into a loaf. The three strands represent love, peace and justice. Traditionally two loaves are made and you have six strands which also represents the six work days of the week aside from the Jewish Sabbath or Shabbat.

What Type Of Flour Is Best For Challah

“By weight, flour is the most prominent ingredient in a bread dough, so the type of flour you use can have a huge impact on what comes out of your oven,” Schreiber says. Most challah recipes are made with either all-purpose or bread flour, which has a higher amount of gluten . And either type of flour can make a delicious challah, “but it’s best to use whatever the recipe calls for, at least when you’re starting out,” Schreiber advises. He also notes that experienced bakers may want to experiment with other flours like spelt, whole wheat, or even buckwheat flour, to add extra flavors to their doughs.

You May Like: How To Make A Shepards Pie

What Makes Challah Different

The main difference between challah and other white breads is that it is made with an enriched dough. Challah includes both eggs, and extra fat, for a significant increase in flavor and a smooth, luscious texture.

This puts challah bread in a similar category to brioche, but brioche breads are famous for their butter content. Challah uses oil to achieve a similar result: rich, yeasted bread that is delightfully fluffy and light.

It is typically braided, and very slightly sweet, although you can shape it in many different ways, and reduce the sweetness if you prefer.

Baking The Challah Bread

How To Make Challah Bread
  • Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and place a sheet pan that is about ¼ filled with water on the lower cooking rack.
  • Brush your Challah bread loaf with the egg wash made from one of the reserved egg whites, a full egg, and a pinch of salt.
  • Place the baking sheet with the loaf over the rack containing the pan with water and close the door.
  • Spritz the loaf with water from a spray bottle 3 times in 30-second intervals after initially closing the door when you placed the loaf in the oven to bake. Then reduce the cooking temperature to 375 degrees and bake for about 45 minutes.
  • The loaf will be a deep brown color and the internal temperature will be 185 degrees when done.

    Recommended Reading: Pie In The Sky Delivery

    Making The Perfect Challah

    Challah bread is meant to be made taking great care and effort with the dough. In some traditions if made rushed and while in a bad mood, your challah will fall flat and not turn out. So put some love into your challah and enjoy the process and the incredible aroma that will fill your kitchen.

  • Dry Ingredients: Mix 4 cups of flour with the other dry ingredients together in bowl of stand mixer.
  • Wet: Add the wet ingredients 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.
  • Kneading: Mix at low speed for 5 minutes or until smooth
  • 1st Rise: Once smooth, dump dough on a lightly floured counter and form into a ball. Place dough into an oiled bowl, metal or glass, 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.
  • Oven: Preheat the oven to 350.
  • Remove: Once the dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl onto a lightly floured surface.
  • Preparing the dough for braiding: Cut the dough into two equal sections and using your hands, 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.
  • Braid: Braid strands together in a traditional 3 strand braid or a 6 strand braid . Once the strands are too short to continue braiding, tuck under to form the end of the loaf.
  • Are Brioche Bread And Challah Bread The Same

    Challah and brioche bread are similar, but differ from each other in important ways. Both are ever so slightly sweet and enriched with eggs and fat, making them richer than other breads.

    But challah uses more eggs and less fat than brioche bread. Also, the fat used in challah is oil, whereas brioche bread calls for butter.

    Recommended Reading: Show Me A Recipe For Shepherd’s Pie

    How To Customize Challah

    Challah is made for many Jewish holidays, though the shapes may change.

    • Rosh Hashanah: Its traditional to make a round challah to symbolize continuity.
    • Purim: Smaller triangular loaves are made to symbolize Hamans hat.
    • Shabbat: Standard braided loaves like this one are most common.

    When you work with a great basic challah recipe, its easy to customize it to suit your tastes and the occasion.

    • Raisins and dried fruit: Raisins symbolize sweetness and happiness, so include them when celebrating joyous holidays.
    • Poppy seeds and sesame seeds: Sprinkle these on top to symbolize the manna that fell from heaven after the exodus from Egypt.
    • Add shine: A wash of egg whites and honey can be brushed over the top of the loaf before baking for a shiny, golden crust.
    • Zest: Add citrus zest to pump up the flavor.
    • Nuts: Toasted nuts add crunch and flavor. Knead nuts in when you would add the raisins in the above recipe.
    • Spice: Add some cinnamon, cardamom or other warming spices to the dough. You can add spices in addition to nuts, orange zest and raisins. Add it all!

    Bake The Challah Bread

    How to Make The Best Braided Bread: Challah

    Bake the challah bread in a 350F or 180 C preheated oven for 28-30 minutes or until it is golden brown in color .

    After baking we will get soft and fluffy challah bread that are golden brown in color.

    This challah breads are one of the best challah breads that we can make at home.

    We can make wonderful challah buns or challah rolls with this same challah bread recipe.

    You May Like: American Pie St George Island

    How To Make Challah

    wikiHow is a wiki, similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 25 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has been viewed 33,765 times.

    This wonderfully rich Jewish yeast bread resembles brioche, but tastes a bit sweeter. Traditionally served with the ceremonial meals of Shabbat and holidays in Judaism, challah is a delicious treat that pairs nicely with butter and other spreads, and is also very versatile for use in other recipes like French toast, sandwiches, etc.

    How To Eat Challah Bread

    I often eat this with a slab of butter or with jam or jelly and, of course, a huge cup of my morning coffee. Perfect combination! It also pairs well with a generous spread of Nutella something that my son would truly enjoy.

    For leftover Challah Bread, you can simply make it as a great French Toastor prepare them ahead as a French Toast Bake when serving a crowd.

    But dont just stop right there! You can also turn it into a delicious sandwich filled with thin slices of roasted beef, bacon or simply with ham and cheese.

    Now go ahead and give this delicious Challah Bread a go you wont regret it! This would be the best time to practice before making a six-strand braid Challah, if thats your goal. And by the weekend or this coming holiday , youll have a wonderfully braided golden loaf bread sitting right on top of your table shared with your loved ones. As you probably know, nothing beats that freshly baked smell in the house!

    Enjoy!

    Read Also: Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

    How To Store Challah Bread

    • Storing leftovers: You can store cooled challah on the counter for up to 4 days. Secure it tightly in plastic wrap, in a ziploc bag, or another airtight container to maintain freshness.
    • Can I freeze challah bread? Yep! This recipe makes two loaves which is perfect to have an extra one to pop in the freezer. You can freeze an entire loaf or individual slices. Wrap it in both plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. It will keep in the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw on the counter before enjoying.

    S To Awesome Challah Bread

    How To Make Challah Bread
  • The first step to making Challah bread is to proof your active dry yeast with 1 tablespoon warm water and 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour.
  • Allow the yeast to proof for ten minutes, then start the Challah bread by combining a 1 cup portion of your flour with sugar, warmed milk, eggs that have been warmed in the shell , egg yolks at room temperature, and the proofed yeast. Whisk the ingredients to combine them and then cover with plastic wrap and allow the yeast mixture to ferment for an hour at room temperature.
  • When the hour fermenting time has passed, combine the remaining four cups of flour with the salt and then pour the fermented yeast and egg mixture over the top of the flour and salt dry mixture. Mix for roughly two minutes or until all ingredients are moistened, then cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
  • After the dough has rested for 20 minutes, knead the dough using the dough hook attachment on medium speed for 3 minutes, rest for 5 minutes, then return to kneading another 4-5 minutes. The dough should slap against the sides of the bowl and pass the ‘windowpane’ test when stretched. Turn the dough out onto your floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and allow to rise at room temperature for about two hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.
  • Read Also: Pie In A Jar Delivery

    What Youll Need To Make Challah

    The recipe calls for instant or rapid rise yeast, which rises faster than regular active dry yeast. Once opened, yeast will keep in the refrigerator for three to six months. Yeast is sold in jars or individual packets. If you dont do a lot of bread baking, its best to buy the packets just note that the quantity required for this recipe is more than one packet.

    Be sure your eggs are room temperature this dough is slow to rise and cold eggs will slow it down even further.

    How To Braid Challah

    Braiding challah is the hardest part! To start, try a classic 3 strand braid. Once you have the hang of it try braiding in 4, 6, or even 8 strands for beautifully baked bread!

  • Divide the dough into equal portions .
  • Roll into evenly sized strips by working from the center and rolling with your hands, tapering the dough at the ends.
  • Secure one end of each dough strip together and braid.
  • I recommend doing a YouTube search for braiding Challah bread for the number of strips you chose. Its good to have a visual guide to follow for this part.

    You May Like: Ok Google Recipe For Shepherd’s Pie

    What Does Challah Bread Taste Like

    Many people compare challah and brioche because they are very similar. Both are enriched yeast dough made with eggs, with a similar sweetness, golden shell, and pillow-like texture. For added flavor and texture, sprinkle on some sesame seeds or poppy seeds before baking.

    The most significant difference is that Challah is part of the Jewish culture and typically made with oil to keep it kosher. To keep Kosher, dairy and meats are not to be eaten together.

    How To Describe Challah

    How to Make Challah Bread

    The texture and consistency of challah bread is similar to brioche due to the high number of eggs in the recipe. Light, fluffy and eggy, leftovers make the ultimate French toast!

    If youve never baked homemade bread before, I urge you to give this fool-proof recipe a shot. Believe me, if Im baking bread , I can assure you anyone can do it.

    Also Check: Individual Shepherd’s Pie Dishes

    How Much Rising Does It Need

    Enriched doughs often benefit from an overnight rise in the refrigerator, which slows down the activity of the yeast, improving the flavor of the dough and making it much easier to shape. Schreiber notes that “rising times for yeasted doughs are only guidelines and can be significantly impacted by the temperature of your kitchen and the strength and age of your yeast,” and he recommends always using visual cues rather than a timer to know when the dough is ready.

    How To Make A Six

    To get started, dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl or liquid glass measuring cup with 1 tablespoon sugar and set aside.

    Note: Youll want to use a large enough bowl as this mixture will start to grow as the yeast activates.

    Second, in a separate large bowl or stand-mixer base, whisk together flour, sugar and salt.

    Third, add beaten eggs and the water with dissolved yeast and sugar to the large bowl of flour.

    Fourth, slowly pour in oil or melted butter and mix well with a wooden spoon or over low to medium speed. If dough doesnt start coming together, add a bit more flour, a couple tablespoons at a time, until it pulls away from the bowl. You want the dough to be sticky though.

    Fifth, once the entire mass sticks together turn out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for about 5 minutes, adding in that last cup of flour as needed to form a smooth, pliable glossy mass. This is a great time to get out any aggression!

    Sixth, drizzle a large bowl with vegetable oil then place dough into bowl flipping it over to make sure it is covered with the oil. This will prevent it from sticking. Cover with a towel and let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk.

    Once the dough has doubled in size, this is the fun part: punch down with a fist then knead one or two more times before dividing the dough in half to begin forming two braided loaves.

    From there, you will divide each half into either 3 strands

    Also Check: Sara Lee Delightful Honey Whole Wheat Bread

    How Long Will Challah Keep And What’s The Best Way To Store It

    It’s likely that you won’t need to worry about your loaf getting stalehomemade bread generally goes fast and that’s a good thing because like all bread, challah is best the day it’s baked. To extend its life a day or so, Schreiber says store in it an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage, slice the loaf and freeze in an airtight container for up to two months.

    How To Make Sourdough Challah

    How to Make Challah Bread

    This beautiful Sourdough Challah has a pillowy soft crumb and golden brown, incredibly flavorful crust that will impress everyone around the table.

    This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of the links in this post, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

    Recommended Reading: Sam’s Club Cake Book

    Why Is My Challah Dense

    • The most probable reason for dense bread is, dough that hasnt risen enough.

    If the rising time is too short , the yeast wont have a chance to create bubbles and Carbon dioxide to make the bubbles expand.

    • Probably the yeast is not active. This may happen if the yeast is not within the expiry date.In this case ,try different yeast.Another reason is when the yeast cells are not alive or dead. Make sure the water added while preparing the dough is not hot and is only warm.Hot water can kill the yeast buds.

    Shape The Challah Braided Bread

    Roll out each dough ball and then shape it into an elongated cylindrical dough strip by rolling.

    Place each of them on the counter until we finish the rest of the rolls.And then take the first one, that we shaped.

    Elongate the dough strand by pulling the dough and then rolling.

    When it gain a length of around 30 cm, Keep it aside until we finish all the six.

    Please watch the video to see how to braid a six strand challah bread.

    Place the six strips parallel to each other and then pinch the top of strips together.

    Read Also: Cheese Cake With Sour Cream Topping

    Popular Recipes

    More Recipes Like This