I've taken my very best Challah Bread recipe and turned it into mini knotted Challah Rolls. Perfect for sandwiches and your bread basket!
The interior of this challah is light and airy with a golden crust. Learn how to braid challah into rolls like a pro with this recipe and technique.
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The Secret to the Best Challah bread
The recipe for these Challah rolls is adapted from one of my my trusted recipe resources, Cook’s Illustrated.
They had previously published a recipe for Challah that I’ve been using for years. I liked it. Didn’t love it. But, it was the best one I could find.
Until…. they came out with their favorite Challah recipe.
And now it is definitely my favorite challah recipe, too! Here's where you can find the post with that recipe for braided Challah loaf.
As you’ll see in the recipe, one of the critical methods to produce this challah is an Asian method of creating a flour paste out of cooked flour and water called tangzhong.
This technique produces softer yeast breads. Which is exactly what we want in a challah. But we can enjoy the softer bread and have fun with making it a beautiful design too, like in this braided Round Challah.
And now I've adapted this recipe into challah rolls which are perfect for the dinner table or for stacking high with your favorite sandwich meat/filling.
How to Braid Challah Rolls
Braiding challah rolls is quite simple. The first step is to divide the dough into evenly sized portions.
I make 10 rolls out of this batch of dough.
You can either weigh the dough and divide by 10 to determine the weight of each portion or you can eyeball it. Personal preference!
This is the kitchen scale I use to weigh the dough and portions. It's inexpensive and a wonderful tool to have handy in your kitchen if you do a fair amount of cooking and/or baking.
Working with one portion of dough at a time, divide the dough into two pieces. You don't have to be exact here. Roll each piece into a 10-inch long rope.
Press both the ends of the ropes of dough together firmly at one end.
Next, twist the ropes of dough around each other, stretching them out as you twist, if the ropes of dough have shrunken or bounced back after you rolled them out initially.
While holding the joined ends together with one hand, coil or wrap the twisted ropes around to form a roll shape.
Firmly pinch the tail end underneath the roll so it stays in place.
Repeat with remaining portions of dough. Place gently on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and allow to proof for about 3 hours, or until the dough does not spring back fully when gently pressed with your knuckle.
Tips for Making Challah Rolls
- Like most recipes for homemade bread, it’s recommended that you weigh your dry ingredients using a kitchen scale. The cup measurements are provided in the recipe as well as the weights for convenience. However, a much better texture and chew will result from this challah bread recipe if you weigh your ingredients rather than measure them in cups. This is because weight is much more precise a measure so your proportions of dry to wet ingredients will be precise to produce the best result
- Most bread recipes call for you to knead your bread on a well-floured surface. For this challah bread recipe, it is not recommended that you flour your kneading surface. This is because friction is needed to roll and twist the ropes of bread dough. Also, this is a stiff and dry dough, so adding additional flour will increase the dryness, resulting in much drier and denser rolls. Nope, we do not want that
- When rolling out the ropes of dough, you may notice that the dough is quite springy and shrinks after you've rolled it out. What I do is roll both ropes out to 10 inches, then as I'm twisting the ropes around each other, I stretch the ropes out a bit while twisting. So, I pull gently on the ropes while I'm twisting
- Once the dough is twisted and wrapped around itself, be sure to pinch tightly the end of the twisted dough to the underside of the roll. This will prevent the dough from unraveling while it's proofing and/or baking
- Rather than baking your challah bread on a single baking sheet, nest or stack two baking sheets on top of one another to keep the bottom of the loaf from getting too dark or burnt. This trick works really well if your oven runs hot and other baked goods like cookies tend to get browned or burnt on the bottom before the inside is fully baked through
Now that you're getting good at shaping bread, I think you'll enjoy learning another shape that's very ornate looking. Check out my round challah instructions.
Be sure to know How To Reheat Challah so you don't dry out your delicious homemade bread by accident either!
Can I make this challah with raisins?
Yes! I would recommend adding the raisins in towards the end of the 9 minute kneading at the end of step 2. Add about ¾ - 1 cup (118 - 158 grams) of raisins into the dough and continue kneading until well incorporated. Continue with the recipe as written.
Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.
Looking for more delicious bread recipes? Give these a try:
FOR ALL MY FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS INCLUDING THOSE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT MY BAKING RESOURCES PAGE!
Ingredients
Flour Paste (Tangzhong)
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons bread flour
Challah Dough
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 2 ¾ cup bread flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg room temperature
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and/or Everything Bagel Seasoning optional
Instructions
Make the Flour Paste:
- Whisk water and flour in a bowl until no lumps remain.
- Microwave, whisking every 20 seconds, until mixture thickens to stiff, smooth, pudding-like consistency that forms a mound when dropped from the end of a whisk into the bowl, about 40 to 80 seconds.
Make the Challah Dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the flour paste from Step 1, egg and yolks, water, and oil until well combined.
- Add flour and yeast.
- Fit mixer with dough hook and mix on low speed until all flour is moistened, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Let stand for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, add the sugar and salt to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 9 minutes (dough will be quite firm and dry).
- Transfer dough to a clean counter and lightly spray the now-empty mixer bowl with nonstick cooking spray.
- Knead the dough briefly to form a ball and return it to the oiled bowl. Lightly spray the dough with nonstick cooking spray and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise until about doubled in volume, about 1 ½ hours.
Shape into Rolls:
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and stack the parchment-lined baking sheet on top of second baking sheet to prevent the bottom of the bread from getting too browned or burnt.
- Transfer the dough to a clean counter and press into an 8-inch square, expelling as much air as possible.
- Using a bench scraper or very sharp knife, cut the dough into 10 evenly sized portions.
- You can be precise by weighing the dough then dividing that weight by 10 to determine the weight of each roll. Or you can eyeball it.
- Working with one portion at a time, divide it into 2 pieces and roll each piece into a 10-inch long rope. Press the ends of the ropes together at one end, then twist the ropes around each other. Holding the joined end with one hand, coil the twisted ropes around that end, pinching the other end under the coil to hold it in place (be sure it’s really pinched together, as it may come apart while rising if it’s not held in place well enough).
- Repeat with the remaining portions.
- Carefully transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until the dough does not spring back fully when gently pressed with your knuckle, about 3 hours.
Make the Egg Wash:
- 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Whisk together egg and salt. Brush the rolls gently with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning, if using.
Bake:
- Bake until rolls are deep golden brown and register at least 195ºF (90ºC), 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.
Notes
- Rolls can be stored at room temperature for 3-4 days. Refrigerate for up to 1 week
- To freeze, place in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the freezer for about an hour. Transfer to a freezer-safe storage bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, remove from the freezer and allow rolls to come to room temperature or place in the microwave on 50% power for about 60 seconds
- This challah can be made with raisins. Adding the raisins in towards the end of the 9 minute kneading at the end of step 2. Add about ¾ - 1 cup (118 - 158 grams) of raisins into the dough and continue kneading until well incorporated. Continue with the recipe as written
- Recipe adapted from Cook’s illustrated Magazine, May & June 2019
- Please note: If you increase the serving size using the ‘servings’ feature above the ingredients, the grams measurements will not change. To calculate grams measurements for increased cup sizes, you can use an online calculator such as bakingcalculator.com
Nutrition
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Comments
Zoe
Kim, I cannot explain these Challah Rolls any other way than heavenly perfection. This is my new go to recipe for dinner rolls! I am trying your Challah bread recipe next!!! Thank you so much!
Kim
This makes me so happy! Love that you love them so much! You're gonna fall in love with the challah too 🙂
Kim
I'm sorry to hear that! You can try adding a bit more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, next time until it's less sticky
Alyssa
OK, thanks. They did come out delicious overall, the dough just kept sticking to me and the counter.
Kim
I'm glad they came out tasting great!
Tiff
Hi Kim, thanks for the recipe! Is it necessary for the second rise to be a whole 3 hours? Seems quite long while most other bread recipes call for a 1 hour second rise. Would like to try making these in the morning for baking at noon!
Kim
You can certainly try speeding up the second proof. Try using a proofing box or placing in the oven with the light on. This could help speed it up a bit. Every time I've made this recipe, I've had to proof for the full 3 hours. I hope it works out for you! Please let me know so I can share that with others.
A.
I used the oven with the light on and still needed the full 3 hours. My house was about 69 degrees F at the time.
Kim
Okay good to know! Thanks for sharing.
A.
I tried something different yesterday and pre-heated the oven to 350, let it cool a bit, and then put the rolls in to proof for 1.5 hours. They turned out wonderfully.
Kim
Awesome! So glad to hear that works!
Caroline
Can the rolls be frozen unbaked, and then later thawed, second-proofed and baked? It would be lovely to have a small fresh-baked challah each week.
Kim
Hi Caroline! Another reader asked this previously and sought out an answer from an expert at King Arthur who advised not to freeze unbaked dough and instead bake the challah, wrap it and freeze after it's been baked. Once defrosting, heat it through at 350ºF (180ºC) for 5 minutes. I'd give that a try!
Julie JOY!
I will try freezing the rolls. When I froze already-sliced (or torn-into) bread, then thawed a chunk the next time, my husband said it was stale. (The nerve of some guys!) Because they're individual rolls, it should work better. (I remember a frozen bread dough my mom used to buy, so that is why I got this idea.)
Kim
Haha! I hope it works out!! Good luck 😊
JulieJOY!
I defrosted (and lightly nuked) one of my frozen and fully baked rolls, and it was heavenly. The jury is still out on the frozen dough doing thru the paces of defrosting, rising, and baking.
A side note: the recipe said to expect a stiff and dry dough. Although I measured my King Arthur Bread Flour by weight, my dough was very soft and sticky. Not sure what I didn't do right, but will carefully measure everything the next time, too. I was still able to shape it, but the baked product BARELY looked "knotted."
Liz
I am making these a second time and have loved them so far. When mixing the flour paste with the eggs and water, should the paste be left to cool? I tried mixing it with very cool water first because I was worried about scrambling the eggs, but I'm just curious if I'm being overly cautious. Thanks!
Kim
This is a good question, Liz! I typically allow the flour paste to cool a bit before mixing in the eggs and it works well. Good luck!
Erin
Thank-you for this recipe! My husband has these egg buns that he loves from a European grocery store, but the bakery that made them went out of business, and the buns that replaced them were more of a brioche style bun. So I've been on the hunt for a recipe, and thought maybe a challah bread would be more along the lines of what he remembered. When I made these he said if he didn't know I'd made them, he wouldn't have known they were anything other than the ones he's loved since he was a kid. So these are going to be on frequent rotation at my house now - and they aren't too hard to make so all the better!
Kim
What a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing that with me, Erin! And for baking these for your family 🙂
Julie JOY!
I would like to make just TWO "fresh baked" rolls at a time for Shabbat, so I am hoping that I can FREEZE the dough (on 8 of them) after I've shaped them. Have you tried this? Suggestions? I can't wait to try these!
Kim
Hi Julie! I have not tried freezing the dough, however, another reader shared on my Challah post that she had called the King Arthur Baking helpline and they advised her not to freeze the dough, but instead bake the challah, allow the rolls to cool completely then freeze them (wrapped well in plastic wrap). And after defrosting heat the rolls through at 350ºF (180ºC) for 5 minutes. I hope that works for you!
Christina
Hello, I have frozen Brioche balls that are 125g each. Do you know how many grams each of your (10) portions are? Trying to gauge if one ball, equals one of the above knots
Kim
Hi Christina! I don't know how much each of the balls weighs in grams, unfortunately. 125 grams sounds like it could be comparable. I will make them again soon and weigh them to be sure!
vijay
For the Flour paste, the water is 0.5 cup or 237mL - is one of those a typo? I think 237mL is closer to a cup. Thanks!
Kim
You're right! This is a typo. It should be 1/2 cup water, or 118 ml. I'll update the recipe right now - thanks for bringing this to my attention!
Penny
I’ve made these rolls multiple times now. They always come out well and are SO fluffy! Thank you for having the recipe in grams and with tangzhong.
Mike
I'm assuming there is a typo / duplicate for the egg in the ingredient list? I see room temperature and then again further down?
Kimberlee Ho
You're right, thank you so much for pointing that out! This has been corrected. Enjoy!
Anne
Looking forward to making these for Thanksgiving next week. Your instructions are great and I appreciate the commentary here too! Question: have you, or anyone else, tried doing the first prove overnight in the refrigerator? And then shaping them the next day and doing the second rise as per normal. If not, I may give it a whirl anyway and will report back! But thought I would ask first. Cheers!
Kimberlee Ho
I've only tried the 2nd rise in the fridge, after it's been shaped. I certainly think you can try the 1st proof in the fridge. It likely won't rise as much, but the flavor will be more developed. Let me know how it works!
Anne
I totally will. Thanks for the reply!
Ruthy
Your recipes look delicious and Challah bread is one of my favorite breads. As I was reading the recipe and tricks I noticed the 5 trick is not stated completely. So I would like to know the trick?
This is what I see:
“Rather than baking your challah bread on a single baking sheet, nest or stack two baking sheets on top of one another to keep the bottom of the loaf from getting too dark or burnt. This trick works really well if your oven runs hot and other baked goods like cookies tend to get browned or burnt on the bottom before the inside is fully baked through”
Then it jumps to:
“Now that you're getting good at shaping bread, I think you'll enjoy learning another shape that's very ornate looking. Check out my round challah instructions.”
Can you tell me what the trick is, since is not listed?
Kimberlee Ho
The 'trick' is to stack the baking sheets to prevent the bottom of the bread from getting too brown or burning. I hope that helps!
A.
After adding the salt and sugar the dough still seems wet. Please advise. Thanks.
Kimberlee Ho
Hmmmm I've never had this problem. The dough tends to be on the drier side so I wonder if all the ingredients were properly measured?