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Sweet, rich, and with a shiny golden crust, here’s how you can make this simple Challah Bread at home. Make this beautiful pillowy soft braided bread today with this easy step by step guide.
There isn’t anything better than a freshly baked loaf of bread straight from the oven and this challah bread is no different. It has a beautiful golden crust topped with sesame seeds, it’s pillowy soft inside, and it’s surprisingly easy to make at home.
Table of Contents
- What is Challah Bread
- How Do You Pronounce Challah?
- Why You’ll Love Making This
- What You’ll Need To Make Challah
- How to Make Challah Bread
- Is Challah Bread Freezer Friendly?
- What is the Difference Between Challah and Brioche Bread?
- Can You Make Challah by Hand?
- Can I Make Challah Ahead of Time?
- What to Do with Leftover Challah
- Recipe Variations
- More Bread Recipes to Try
- Easy Challah Bread Recipe
What is Challah Bread
Challah is a kosher loaf of braided bread. It uses a relatively straightforward dough that is made with eggs, water, flour, yeast and salt and sweetened with sugar. Challah is the bread of celebration in Jewish tradition but isn’t confined to just being eaten during Jewish holidays. The braided bread holds a lot of symbolism as they can be seen as symbolizing truth, peace, and justice as well as being a symbol of love. To learn more about challah, I suggest you visit here.
How Do You Pronounce Challah?
The correct way to pronounce the name is “haa-luh,” you don’t pronounce the “ch” sound.
Why You’ll Love Making This
- It’s rich. The loaf of braided bread is super rich thanks to the dough that is enriched with extra eggs and oil.
- Nothing beats a freshly baked loaf of bread. Your kitchen will smell amazing as this challah bread bakes in your oven and you pull it out to place on your dining room table.
- It’s beautiful. The braids on the bread makes this a show stopping masterpiece. It’s such a beautiful looking bread you might not even want to cut into it.
What You’ll Need To Make Challah
- Bread flour
- All purpose flour
- Active dry yeast
- Warm water
- Avocado oil
- Honey
- Egg
- Egg wash: 1 egg and sesame seeds (optional)
How to Make Challah Bread
Prepare the yeast – Sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water and let it bloom for about 10 minutes.
Make the dough – In a mixing bowl with a dough hook attachment, add in the yeast mixture, egg, oil, honey and beat it until well combined. With a low speed, gradually add in the flour mixture. Once all flour is in the bowl, increase the speed to a medium level and continue kneading the dough until it does not stick to the sides of the bowl (about 7 minutes).
Let the dough rise – Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover it with a cling wrap. Let it rise at a warm place until it has doubled in size.
Braid the dough – Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Roll each of the dough out to about 12 inches long and taper the 3 sets of dough at the ends and braid it into a 3 strand loaf.
Let the dough rise again – Place the loaf on a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Cover loosely with a tea towel and let it rise for about 45 minutes at room temperature.
Prepare your oven – Preheat your oven at 350F.
Prepare to bake your challah – Once the dough is proofed for the 2nd time, brush the top of the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds. Bake the loaf for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool before enjoying – Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack.
Is Challah Bread Freezer Friendly?
Yes – simply tightly wrap it up with freezer friendly plastic wrap and freeze the bread for up to one month. When you are ready to enjoy, allow it to thaw and bring it to room temperature before serving.
What is the Difference Between Challah and Brioche Bread?
Both breads are super rich and sweet but are not the same. Challah bread is kosher so it uses oil instead of butter. Brioche’s fat content comes from butter.
Can You Make Challah by Hand?
While a mixer is great for this challah bread recipe, you can always knead by hand. It’ll definitely take longer and be more work but it’s not impossible. It should take between 10-15 minutes of hand kneading to get the same results as using a mixer.
Can I Make Challah Ahead of Time?
You can make the challah dough the night before and let it rise in the fridge overnight. Braid the bread, let rise again, and bake the next day.
What to Do with Leftover Challah
Here are some ideas of what you can do with leftover challah:
- French toast
- Croutons
- Bread pudding
- Stuffing
- Sandwiches
- Freeze it for later!
Recipe Variations
Here are some fun variations you can make to this challah recipe:
- Top with poppy seeds
- Add in raisins
- Add in chocolate chips
- Top with kosher salt
- Fold in pesto into the dough
- Top with cinnamon sugar
- Fold in fresh herbs
More Bread Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe
- Nutella Banana Nut Bread
- Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
- Pumpkin Spice French Toast
- Cinnamon Swirl French Toast
I hope you enjoy all the recipes I share with you, including this delicious Challah Bread recipe. I hope you try it, enjoy it, rate it and share it with your friends and family!
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Easy Challah Bread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup bread flour
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 egg
Egg wash:
- 1 whole egg
- Sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- Sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm water and let it bloom for about 10 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl with a dough hook attachment, add in the yeast mixture, egg, oil, honey and beat it until well combined.
- With a low speed, gradually add in the flour mixture. Once all flour is in the bowl, increase the speed to a medium level and continue kneading the dough until it does not stick to the sides of bowl (about 7 minutes)
- Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover it with a cling wrap. Let it rise at a warm place until it has doubled in size.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal portions. Roll each of the dough out to about 12 inches long and taper the 3 sets of dough at the ends and braid it into a 3 strand loaf.
- Place the loaf on a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper. Cover loosely with a tea towel and let it rise for about 45 minutes at room temperature.
- Preheat your oven at 350F.
- Once the dough is proofed for the 2nd time, brush the top of the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds.
- Bake the loaf for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack.
- Serve it warm with some butter or jam.
