Challah Bread

There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked challah bread filling your kitchen. This rich, egg-enriched loaf with its signature golden braid is tender, slightly sweet, and wonderfully versatile. Whether you’re enjoying it warm from the oven, turning it into Challah French toast, or sharing it at a family dinner, this homemade challah recipe is a must-try.

I’ve made this recipe countless times, and through plenty of trial and error, I’ve refined the method to make sure you get a perfectly risen, beautifully braided, and irresistibly golden loaf every time.

This post was originally published in December 2016 and has been fully updated with new photos and recipe tips so that you can easily recreate this recipe in your own kitchen.

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What Makes Challah Bread Special?

Challah bread is a traditional Jewish bread, often enjoyed during Shabbat and holidays. Its signature braid symbolizes love, unity, and tradition. The dough is enriched with eggs, honey, and oil, giving it a soft and tender crumb with a slightly sweet flavor.

What sets this bread apart from other enriched breads like brioche is that it contains oil instead of butter, making it dairy-free. This subtle difference results in a lighter texture and a richer egg flavor.

Why I Think You’ll Love This Recipe

Challah bread is surprisingly easy to make, and once you’ve tried it, you’ll never want to buy store-bought again. Here’s why it’s worth the effort:

• Easy to master: While the braid may look intimidating, it’s actually quite simple with a little practice.
• Perfect for beginners: The dough is soft and forgiving, making it ideal for anyone new to bread-making. The other homemade yeast breads I like to make are my Homemade Dinner Rolls and my Cornmeal Yeast Rolls.
• Versatile: Enjoy it fresh, toasted, or as the base for decadent French toast or berry bread pudding.
• Make-ahead friendly: Much like my Homemade Potato Buns, you can freeze the shaped loaf and bake it later for freshly baked bread on demand.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Challah bread uses basic pantry staples, but the combination creates magic. Here are the key players:

• Yeast and warm water: Activates the dough and helps it rise to a fluffy texture. Combining the two ingredients before mixing is common practice. I follow this step when making the dough for my Easy White Bread, Pumpkin Spice Monkey Bread and my Apple Fritter Monkey Bread.
• Honey: Adds sweetness and enhances the flavor of the bread.
• Eggs and egg yolk: Enrich the dough, giving it its golden color and tender crumb.
• Vegetable oil: Adds richness and moisture without making the bread too heavy.
• All-purpose flour: The base that forms the structure of the bread.
• Egg wash: Gives the bread its signature glossy, golden finish.

Exact quantities are listed below in the recipe card. Note: the recipe card allows you to easily scale the recipe and will automatically adjust the ingredient quantities.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Always refer to the recipe card below, but here is a visual summary.

Step 1: Activate the yeast

Sprinkle the yeast over warm water and let it dissolve until it becomes frothy. This ensures the yeast is active.

Step 2: Make the dough

In your stand mixer, combine the flour and salt, then add the honey, eggs, egg yolk, and oil.

Mix until you get a shaggy dough. Slowly add the yeast mixture.

Knead until a smooth, soft dough forms.

Step 3: First rise

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise until doubled in size. This takes about 1–2 hours.

Step 4: Braid the dough

Divide the dough into six equal pieces.

Roll each piece into long ropes.

Braid the ropes together using a simple over-under weaving pattern.

Step 5: Second rise

Place the braided loaf on a baking sheet and let it rise again until puffy.

Step 6: Egg wash and bake

Brush the loaf with egg wash for a glossy finish, then bake until deeply golden brown and perfectly risen. Let the bread cool on a rack before slicing.

Ways to Enjoy Challah Bread

Challah is delicious on its own, but it also shines in a variety of recipes:

• French toast: Its sweet, eggy flavor makes it perfect for thick, custardy French toast.
• Sandwiches: Use it for next-level sandwiches or grilled cheese.
• Bread pudding: Transform leftover challah into a rich, custardy dessert.
• Sweet or savory: Enjoy it with butter and honey or pair it with savory dishes like stews and soups.

FAQs About Making Challah Bread

Sometimes it can feel intimidating or overwhelming to make any kind of homemade bread. Here are a few questions and answers that might help you along the way.

If you tried this Challah Bread recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!

Challah Bread

Prep45 minutes mins

Cook30 minutes mins

Total1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings 16 servings

Author Krissy Allori

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This rich, egg-enriched loaf with its signature golden braid is tender, slightly sweet, and wonderfully versatile. Whether you’re enjoying it warm from the oven, turning it into French toast, or sharing it at a family dinner, this homemade challah recipe is a must-try.

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Equipment

• baking sheet
• parchment paper
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Ingredients 

½x1x2x

• ▢ 1/4 ounce active dry yeast Note: an individual packet of yeast usually contains 0.25 ounces which is equivalent to 2 1/4 teaspoons
• ▢ 1 cup lukewarm water
• ▢ 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons salt
• ▢ 1/4 cup honey
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk reserve the white for the egg wash
• ▢ 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 egg white for brushing on top of the bread before baking

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Instructions 

• Sprinkle the 1/4 ounce active dry yeast over the 1 cup lukewarm water in a small bowl. Swirl gently to dissolve. If a thin frothy layer does not form, your yeast might no longer be active and you must use active yeast for this recipe.
• In the bowl of your stand mixer, mix together 4 cups of the 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour and the 2 teaspoons salt. Reserve the remaining 1/2 cup of flour for the kneading process.
• Add the 1/4 cup honey, 2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk, and 1/4 cup vegetable oil and mix with a spoon to form a shaggy dough. Pour the yeast mixture over the egg slurry and mix until combined.
• Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough on low speed for 6 to 8 minutes. If the dough seems very sticky or does not create a smooth ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl, add flour a spoonful at a time until it is just in between sticky and dry. Stop kneading the dough when it is soft, smooth, and holds a ball-shape.
• Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place somewhere warm. My house is always cold so I like to preheat the oven to 200 degrees F, turn it off, and crack the door. I allow the dough to rise in the warm oven. Let the dough rise until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours depending on how warm the environment is.
• Punch the dough (this is the best part!). Divide the dough into six equal pieces. I did this by weighing the dough, dividing by six, and ensuring each piece was roughly the same size. Roll each of the six pieces to equal lengths, 12-15 inches long. They will try to shrink back so give them the occasional pull. Make them a bit smaller on the ends.
• To braid the dough, squeeze the ends together on one side. Spread out all six ropes. Always starting from the rope on the far right side, pull it over two strands, under the third, and then over the last two strands. Reposition all of the dough ropes such that you can repeat this pattern, again using the rope that’s on the far right hand side. Repeat this weave until the entire loaf has formed and then sqeeze the ends together to seal. Tuck both ends on both sides of loaf underneath. You can either freeze the dough at this point or continue below to cook.
  
• Line a baking sheet with parchment and transfer the loaf on top. Dust the loaf with a little flour and loosely cover it with plastic wrap or a clean dishcloth. Place the pan somewhere warm and away from drafts and allow it rise until about an hour.
  
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the remaining egg white with about a tablespoon of water and gently brush the entire surface of the loaf, taking care not to deflate.
• Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking, until the loaf is deeply browned in color.
  
• Allow the loaf to cool on a cooling rack.

Notes

Recipe yields one loaf.

Allow the bread to fully cool before slicing. Store bread in an air tight container. Cooked bread can be wrapped tightly and frozen.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 302mg, Potassium: 57mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 55IU, Calcium: 11mg, Iron: 1.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave me a comment below