Easy Homemade Challah Bread Recipe

Recently, I came across a discussion on Facebook about Challah Bread.  I’d never heard of it before so I did some digging and then Hannah and I experimented with baking it. 

This easy Challah Bread recipe was so delicious that I wanted to share the recipe with our readers!

What Makes Challah Bread Different?

Challah is a Kosher loaf of braided bread. The simple dough is made with eggs, water, flour, yeast, and salt.

The bread is typically pale yellow in color because of the eggs used, and it has a rich flavor, too.

What Does The Challah Loaf Symbolize?

‘Challah’ actually refers to the tiny portion that we separate from bread dough as a reminder of the Temple service, not the loaves themselves.

The loaves are typically covered with a fancy cloth—one reason is that it is symbolic of the dew that fell on the manna in the desert.

Why Is Challah Bread Braided?

Challah is a rich, eggy bread that’s baked every week for the Jewish sabbath, or Shabbat. 

The braiding of the challah may symbolize several possible things: A symbol of the intertwining of the holy days with the secular days of the week, as Friday passes into the Sabbath. 

Also, the symbol of the connectedness the Sabbath brings, with its purpose of allowing time for family, friends, and relationship strengthening. 

The reason that some people do the round challah, versus the braids, for Rosh Hashana, is because the year is round and it represents that idea. This makes the bread look like a crown, for crowning God as king on Rosh Hashana.

Easy Challah Bread Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup lukewarm water
2 teaspoons yeast (active dry or instant will work)
4-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs
1 egg yolk & egg white separated (save the white for the egg wash)
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions

Easy Challah Bread Recipe

This Challah Bread recipe is delicious and so easy to fix! We make it frequently and the whole familly loves it!

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Course: Recipes

Keyword: Bread, Bread recipe, Challah, Challah Bread, Jewish

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 759kcal

Author: Mirande Welle

Ingredients

• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons yeast active dry or instant will work
• 4-4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg yolk & egg white separated save the white for the egg wash
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

• Dissolve the yeast: Place the water in a small bowl.
• Sprinkle the yeast along with a large pinch of sugar into the water. Stir to combine. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, until you see a thin frothy layer across the top.
• Mix the dry ingredients together: In a large stand mixer bowl, add four, sugar, and salt. Whisk to combine. (If using a regular bowl, knead by hand.)
• Add the eggs, yolk, and oil to the dry ingredients: Whisk to form a slurry, scraping the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the flour.
• Mix to form a shaggy dough: Pour yeast mixture over egg slurry. Mix yeast, eggs, and flour with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a dough is formed.
• Knead: Using a dough hook, knead dough for 6-8 minutes in a stand mixer. (Alternatively, you may turn the dough on a floured surface and knead by hand for about 10 minutes.)
• Perfect Dough Consistency: If the dough is sticky, add flour one teaspoon at a time until it feels tacky but not sticky. The dough is finished kneading once soft, smooth, and holding a ball shape.
• Let dough rise till doubled: Place the dough in an oiled boil and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise some place warm till doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Divide and make ropes: Divide the dough into 3 (or 6) equal pieces. Roll into ropes, about 16 inches long each.
• Braid the dough: by gathering the ropes and squeezing them together into a braid formation. (Just like when braiding hair.)
• Let Challah rise: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place braided loaf in the center and cover with a clean towel. Let the Challah rise again for about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven: to 350 degrees.
• Brush Challah with egg wash: Mix the reserved egg white with a tablespoon of water. Brush the Challah loaf with the wash.
• Bake the Challah loaf: for 30-35 minutes, until the top is deeply browned.
• Cool: the Challah on a cooling rack until just barely warm.
• Enjoy! Challah Bread is absolutely delicious!

Video

Notes

If you don't need to keep a kosher table, you can substitute the oil for melted butter.

To store leftover Challah, cool completely and place in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 759kcal | Carbohydrates: 148g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 374mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g

How To Eat Challah Bread

This bread is so tasty you can eat it plain – just tear off the piece of challah and munch away!  We also love to drizzle honey on top. 

Slicing Challah Bread for sandwiches can be a little tricky because of two things: the braiding and the small challah size.  But it’s definitely doable! 

We have carefully sliced with a large bread knife and made it work.

Our family makes this easy Challah Bread recipe quite often because it is so delicious.  If you love the taste of fresh-baked bread, you will definitely want to give it a try! 

I love pairing it with soup, including this Flavorful Easy Chicken Fajita Soup Recipe.