Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Rich, ever so slightly sweet, and perfect with dinner or as French toast in the morning.
Texture: Moist and tender yet firm.
Ease: The steps are relatively easy they just require some patience. I always thought challah was extremely difficult to make but after watching someone do it in school I realized it shouldn’t be that intimidating.
Appearance: Challah is one of the most beautiful loaves of bread and this recipe creates a fantastic but uncomplicated braid.
Pros: So much better than store-bought challah and much more satisfying (both in terms of taste and accomplishment).
Cons: Requires pretty much a whole day to make,
Would I make this again? I’ve made challah probably 5 times at home already.
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I’ve made challah bread way more times than I care to admit after learning how to make it in culinary school.
It’s such a gorgeous and complicated-looking bread that I was never really confident enough to try it.
This recipe is actually pretty easy, even if you’re not a super experienced bread baker.
I wanted to make a video about challah because I feel that once you see how easy it really is your at-home challah baking will be much more successful.
Be sure to save some day-old challah because it makes killer French toast!
*Please note: I am not Jewish so I am not claiming this is traditional or authentic challah.
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Challah Bread
Ingredients
- 3 to 3 1/4 cups (15 to 16 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
- 1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 3 large eggs, one egg separated (reserve the white for the egg wash)
- 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, at room temperature
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix together the 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk, melted butter, and 1/2 cup of the water until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture. Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough comes together. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding up to a 1/4 cup more flour if the dough is too wet and sticky. Mix the egg white and the remaining 1 tablespoon of water and cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Shape the dough into an even ball and place in a lightly oiled ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Gently press down on the dough to deflate it then cover with plastic and let rise until doubled again, about 40 to 60 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, one about half the size of the other (the small piece should weigh about 9 ounces, the larger should weigh about 18 ounces). Divide the large piece into 3 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 16-inch long rope. Line up the ropes and pinch them together at one end. Braid the rope pieces, pinching the other end together to seal the braid. Place the braid on a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet. Repeat the exact steps with the remaining 3 smaller pieces of dough. Brush egg wash onto the large braid then carefully place the smaller braid on top. Loosely drape the loaf with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat to 375°F. Brush the loaf with the remaining egg wash. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and registers an internal temperature of 190°F with an instant read thermometer. Let the loaf cool completely before slicing.
Hi Tessa
I found you years ago on YouTube. I watched your videdo on how to make Challah Bread. I have been making it ever since. I love, love your videos. You also mention questions that I was wondering about. You covered the recipe wonderfully. I just made it yesterday. This morning, French Toast!
Thanks for everything. Your doing a great job
Peace, Bonnie
Thank you so much, Bonnie! I really appreciate your kind words 🙂
Thanks for sharing this amazing and easy recipe!!
I have a question if I would like to replace butter for olive oil, could you tell me the amount?
Thanks
Hi This will be my first atempt at making bread. I was wondering if i can bake the bread in a 9×5 loaf pan instead of braiding it and if so do I let it rise the second time in the pan then bake it? thank you
This video is awsome! I will try this for sure. Thank you for taking the time to make your video, my grandson and I will have a great time making this.
How fun! Enjoy the bread, and your time together 🙂
Tessa, I really enjoyed the video on making Challah Bread. I always wanted to make this and never had the nerve. Now I am going to attempt it. I am now on Paleo and am working to better my bread making and pastry making abilities. Every once in a while I miss having good bread and so does my family. I am only using King Arthur flour for this. I worry about pestisides and GMO’s in store brands. I will welcome your newsletters to get me fired up for those special weekend goodies. Thanks
Alright, so- follow up to my comment question above. I made this last Christmas and it didn’t rise as much as it should. It was still delicious! However, I live in Seattle… In an old apartment with thin windows so my apartment is often cold. This year I started mixing at 9am. Let the ball rise for 12 hours total, braided and then let it rise for another 2 1/2 hours. Took a long time and I had to set the dough near a heater vent the whole time, but it rose much better this year! Thanks for the recipe!
Do you think the braided loan sit overnight before baking it? Sorry if already asked- so many comments! Thanks!
Thanks so much for the video…have tried making bread several times and not good. This will be so much easier when I can use my bread hook and mixer and it all goes in at once, awesome. Happy Holiday!!
Can I use quickrise yeast?
Yep! That’s the same as instant.
The two concerns for making this kosher are 1) if you use butter, does it have a kosher symbol, a hechsher, on it, and 2) use oil instead if it will be served with a meat meal.
I made this bread today and boy is it delicious! I ate it with honey and butter and I’m trying not to devour it all right now. Thank you for sharing the recipe and for the wonderful video! 🙂
Dear Tessa, I just made the Challah bread this morning. It came just as yours, even the colour. Sooo good. This bread intimidated me for a long time. I studied your video and comments for a long time and this morning was my trial. It really is easy the way you explain the recipee to us.
It only took a long time to prepare (from 8.30 till 12.30), but in the meantime I made some 30 minutes rolls, washed clothes, and so on. The Challah is for tonight.
Thank you one million times.