Challah Bread

Challah bread is a soft egg bread that is slightly sweet and great all on its own with butter or use it to make sandwiches and French toast. It’s not complicated to make but it does take time. The effort is worth it when you pull it out of the oven and you have a shiny and golden loaf of bread.

I’ve been really enjoying making my own homemade bread and have tried several different kinds. Recently, I made challah bread which is a soft bread that is made with eggs. I see it at many different bakeries and it’s often made to celebrate Jewish holidays like Hanukkah.

After making braided milk bread I was excited to try challah and use the same braiding method. Once baked, it’s golden brown and the braided bread is perfect for displaying on the dinner table. We weren’t celebrating any holidays when we made it, but it definitely felt special when we enjoyed it for dinner that night.

For this recipe, I enlisted the help of my brothers because they used to make it at the bagel store they worked at. Since it was my first time making it, I definitely wanted their help.

Recipe Highlights and Tips

I used a recipe I found on Bakingdom and I was very pleased with how the bread turned out. I followed the recipe as written except I did a different braiding method (more on that in a minute).

What gives this bread it’s soft texture and unique flavor are eggs. There are two whole eggs plus one egg yolk in the dough – it gives the bread it’s yellow color and eggy flavor.

Because this is a yeast bread, you will need plan for two rises. The first rise happens after you’ve made the dough and the second rise happens after you’ve braided the dough.

I used my stand mixer fitted with the dough hook to make the dough. It makes kneading a lot easier. You can need the dough by hand, but it will take longer.

There are different ways to shape a loaf of challah and I opted for the six-braid method. It’s a lot easier to watch someone demonstrate the braiding and I found this video very helpful. I love how the finished bread looks.

The bread gets its shiny, golden crust from an egg wash that is brushed onto the dough before it’s baked. It’s just one egg whisked with one tablespoon of water. You definitely don’t want to skip this step – your loaf won’t have that shiny crust if you do.

The easiest way to tell when it’s done is to use a thermometer to check the internal temperature. It should be 190°F. You should allow it to cool fully before slicing it.

How to Store It

I like that it keeps really well after it’s baked. I recommend only slicing as much as you need and keep the loaf tightly wrapped at room temperature. It will keep for up to five days at room temperature.

Challah is delicious just as it is with some butter and jam, but it also makes a really good sandwich bread. We also used it to make French toast, too.

More Recipes

• Japanese Milk Bread Rolls
• Brioche Bread
• Honey Beer Bread

Challah Bread

Servings: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Challah bread is a soft bread made with eggs and it’s great for making sandwiches or French toast. There are different ways to braid a challah and I followed the steps in this video, which I’ve also linked in the instructions.

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Ingredients

• 3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp instant yeast or one envelope, which is equivalent to 2 1/4 teaspoons
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs plus 1 egg separated (saving the white for egg wash)
• 1/4 cup 1/2 stick unsalted butter softened
• 1/4 cup boiling water plus 1/4 cup room temperature water
• 1 tsp poppy or sesame seeds optional

Instructions

• First, make the egg wash by whisking one egg white with one tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until you’re ready to brush it on the dough.
• In a one-cup liquid measuring cup, melt the butter in the boiling water. Add the room temperature water, two whole eggs, and the extra egg yolk. Whisk to combine and set this mixture aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine 3 cups of flour with the yeast, sugar and salt. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add the butter and egg mixture and mix until a dough is formed. Turn the mixer to medium-low speed and knead the dough for five to eight minutes or until the dough is slightly tacky that barely sticks to the sides of the bowl. If needed, add additional flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough reaches the right consistency.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the dough with a dish cloth and leave it to rise until it’s doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Once it’s risen, deflate it by lightly pressing on it. Recover it with the towel and leave it to rise for another hour or until it has doubled again in size.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. At this point, I recommend following the steps in this video to do a six-strand braid, which is how I braided my bread.
• Once the dough is braided. Transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the top of the bread lightly with the egg wash you prepared earlier (save the rest, you will need to brush the dough again before baking). Cover the bread with a dish towel and leave it to rise for about 45 minutes or until the dough is puffy and a bit lighter in color.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the bread with another light coating of egg wash. Bake the bread for 30 to 35 minutes or until the bread is a deep golden brown an the internal temperature is 190°F. Transfer the bread to a baking rack. Allow it to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

Recipe source: Bakingdom

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

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