That is hands-down the Finest Challah Bread Recipe you’ll ever strive. I flip to it each single week (or batch it for the freezer)! Made with easy substances and naturally sweetened with honey, this straightforward Challah recipe is tender, barely candy (excellent!), and excellent for every thing from Shabbat dinner to Sunday morning French toast. It’s our household recipe that I’m thrilled to share with you!
Whether or not you’re new to baking bread or in search of a tried-and-true basic, that is one recipe you’ll need to bookmark. My favourite half? It makes a ton, sufficient for two giant loaves or 3–6 smaller ones. We’re a household of 4, so I typically make a bunch of smaller ones, and all the time freeze just a few to have readily available for once we need contemporary challah bread!
This recipe was handed down by my mother-in-law, and I make it with my ladies principally each single week. It’s one in every of our favourite traditions! The bread is unquestionably not gluten-free, like almost all of my different recipes. Nonetheless, it’s scrumptious, and I get requests for the recipe each time I share it on-line. One style, and also you’ll by no means return to store-bought bread once more.
What’s Challah Bread and What Makes It Completely different From Common Bread?
Challah is a conventional Jewish egg bread that’s barely candy, pillowy tender, and fantastically braided earlier than baking. In contrast to fundamental white bread, Challah is enriched with eggs, oil, and honey, giving it a wealthy taste and golden exterior. It’s additionally historically dairy-free (parve), making it a staple for Jewish holidays and Shabbat meals, alongside gluten-free matzo ball soup and gluten-free potato latkes.
Components and Notes
*Scroll all the way down to the recipe card for the total recipe and ingredient record!
- Energetic Dry Yeast: This helps the dough rise, giving the bread a light-weight, ethereal texture. Make sure that to make use of lively dry yeast, NOT on the spot yeast!
- Honey: Provides a touch of sweetness with out the necessity for refined sugar.
- Bread Flour: This has the next protein content material than all-purpose flour, which creates a softer, fluffier bread. If wanted, all-purpose flour may even work, however the texture will change barely.
- Oil: Avocado oil is my choice, however any oil will work. Or, if you happen to don’t must preserve your Challah parve, melted butter can be great, including wonderful further richness.
- Eggs: Complete eggs contribute to the bread’s wealthy taste and assist give it construction in order that it holds its form. Then, I take advantage of egg wash to create a shiny exterior.
- Salt: Don’t skip this! It received’t make your bread salty, however it does stability the flavors of the opposite substances.
- Toppings: The world is your oyster however we love basic sesame seeds. Generally my oldest daughter Skylar provides cinnamon, chocolate chips and sprinkles to hers!
Make the Finest Challah Recipe
- Activate the yeast: Mix the yeast, salt, honey, and sizzling faucet water within the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir, and let the combination sit for a couple of minutes.
- Kind the gluten: Add the entire wheat flour, and beat for a few minutes to type the gluten. I like to make use of the paddle attachment!
- Add the moist substances: Beat the oil and eggs into the combination till properly mixed.
- Combine within the white flour: Utilizing the bread hook attachment, beat a little bit of the bread flour in, including extra as soon as mixed till all of the flour is included and a tender dough kinds.
- Knead: Switch the dough to a floured floor, and knead till it’s clean and elastic. Add extra flour as wanted to forestall sticking!
- Let it rise: Place the dough in a big bowl that has been frivolously oiled, cowl, and let it rise in a heat place till it doubles in dimension. Tip: Warmth a microwave protected bowl stuffed with water for about 45 seconds. Watch out, as a result of it will likely be sizzling whenever you take away. Discard and place your bowl with dough within the heat microwave.
- Knead and form: Subsequent, punch the dough down, and knead it once more on a floured floor. Then, divide the dough into two or extra balls of dough, and form them into ropes to braid. Braid the bread dough. (See beneath)
- Rise a second time and glaze: Switch the braided Challah loaves to a lined baking sheet, and allow them to rise once more at room temperature or in a dry, heat place. Then, brush egg wash on high, and add any toppings. I like sesame seeds!
- Bake: Switch the bread to a preheated oven, and bake till golden brown and the loaves sound hole when gently tapped. Cool fully, slice, and revel in!
My Prime Suggestions & Methods
Actually this recipe is fairly foolproof. I don’t use a scale! It’s pretty forgiving if you happen to don’t neglect any steps!
- Don’t rush the proofing course of. Letting the dough double in dimension within the first rise, is vital to making a tender, fluffy texture. About one hour, 1.5 is nice. When you braid, a second rise of half-hour is nice.
- Keep away from over-mixing. Mix the bread dough substances simply till clean, and knead simply till it’s pliable. Persevering with to combine or knead can overwork the gluten, which leads to a dense, powerful loaf.
- Guarantee an ideal rise. Should you really feel your own home isn’t humid sufficient (I.E. Fall or Winter), you’ll be able to place the dough bowl within the microwave with a mug of sizzling water to create a heat proofing atmosphere for the primary and second rise.
- Create a shinier end. Apply a second egg wash after 15-20 minutes of baking for an excellent shiny, bakery-worthy Challah bread recipe.
- Cool fully. It’s tempting to dig in straight away, however belief me! The bread will end baking and set because it cools. Slicing earlier than then could cause a gummy, barely raw heart.
FAQs
My household and I usually get pleasure from this bread by itself as an appetizer with our meals. Nonetheless, it additionally makes fabulous French toast, freezer breakfast sandwiches, and bread pudding.
Leftover bread will preserve contemporary in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days or within the freezer for as much as 3 months.
Sure, I prefer to high my loaves with sesame seeds or poppy seeds for just a little further crunch. You too can strive including a little bit of cinnamon to the dough, or fold in raisins, chopped nuts, or chocolate chips earlier than braiding.
Sure! You may combine and knead this challah bread recipe solely by hand. It simply takes just a little further elbow grease to carry the dough collectively and work the gluten till it’s clean and elastic.
A couple of issues.
1. Be sure you didn’t miss any substances or steps (I’ve forgotten the salt, you’re not alone, haha).
2. Verify your yeast and ensure it’s contemporary.
3. Make sure that it’s in a darkish house/that’s humid. Use my microwave tip if wanted. Particularly within the cooler months.
4. Lastly… This recipe is pretty forgiving so if it didn’t double, nonetheless bake it! It’ll probably be nice, only a bit much less fluffy.
- 2 tablespoons lively dry yeast
- 4 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup honey
- 1¾ cups sizzling faucet water
- 2 cups bread flour
- ¾ cup oil avocado oil is my choice. Additionally melted butter is great, although not parve
- 3 giant eggs
- 5 cups bread flour
- 1 egg for egg wash
- Sesame seeds poppy seeds, and many others. (optionally available, for topping)
Activate Yeast:
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In your stand mixer, mix the yeast, salt, honey, and sizzling faucet water. Stir and let sit for a couple of minutes to permit the yeast to activate.
2 tablespoons lively dry yeast, 4 teaspoons salt, ½ cup honey, 1¾ cups sizzling faucet water
Add Bread Flour:
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Change to the bread hook attachment. Combine in 2 cups of the bread flour flour and proceed to beat for a couple of minute. Step by step add extra flour, about 1 cup at a time, mixing till a tender dough kinds. You’ll usually use 5 cups whole.
5 cups bread flour
First Rise:
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Place the dough in a frivolously oiled bowl, cowl with plastic wrap (or bathe caps), and let rise in a heat place till doubled in dimension, about 1 hour. (Tip: Place the dough bowl within the microwave with a mug of sizzling water to create a heat proofing atmosphere.)
Braiding Challah: (p.s. many movies may be discovered on-line of this course of or see the step-by-step pictures on this publish)
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Roll out 3 strands, the identical dimension.
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Join the dough strands collectively on the high finish. Then unfold the strands aside.
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Like braiding hair, place the precise strand over the center, then the left over center (or vice versa). Doesn’t matter which facet you begin on. As the surface strand strikes over the center, you’ll discover that you’re creating a brand new center.
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Proceed down till you run out of strand and press the ends collectively and fold them below.
Second Rise & Glaze:
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Place the braided loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rise for about half-hour. Then, earlier than baking, brush with egg wash (1 egg overwhelmed with 1 teaspoon of water) and sprinkle with sesame seeds if utilizing.
1 egg, Sesame seeds
Bake:
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Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake for 35–40 minutes or till golden brown and the loaves sound hole when tapped. (Non-obligatory: Apply a second egg wash after 15–20 minutes for a shinier end.) Let cool fully earlier than slicing, wrapping, or storing.
Proofing Tip: Warmth a microwave protected bowl stuffed with water for about 45 seconds. Watch out, as a result of it will likely be sizzling whenever you take away. Discard and place your bowl with dough within the heat microwave.
Yield: Recipe makes 2 actually giant loaves or 3–5 smaller loaves. I can get 6-7 small ones out of mine! I like this for my household of 4, as we don’t want enormous ones weekly!
Storing: Retailer within the fridge for as much as 5 days, or within the freezer for as much as 6 months.
Serving: 1servingEnergy: 152kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 4gFats: 6gSaturated Fats: 1gPolyunsaturated Fats: 2gMonounsaturated Fats: 3gTrans Fats: 0.02gLdl cholesterol: 21mgSodium: 267mgPotassium: 37mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 30IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.3mg
