Reader Review
I have made this twice in the last 8 days. I can't wait to make it again!!! It's simple. It's very tasty. It's Not Dry! It's.. not dry!! It tastes great!
Sylvia
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The magic of homemade challah bread
This bread has the consistency of a brioche bread due to the addition of the eggs and egg yolks making it perfectly fluffy and soft.
If making the dough ahead of time, after the first rise and after shaping, place the dough in the fridge for the second rise and bake in the morning.
This is a simple, 4-strand braid. Details about how to braid with four strands are included below and in the recipe itself. There is also a video included showing how to braid this challah.
The magic of Tangzhong Challah braided loaf bread
Unlike most Challah recipes, this one begins by making a flour paste known as a tangzhong. This is simply a mixture of flour and water that's heated, or pre-cooked, to form a paste. This technique produces softer yeast breads which is exactly what we want in a challah.
How to make the Best Challah Bread recipe
add the flour and yeast.
Proofed challah dough.
Braid the Dough: Lift the rope at 12 o’clock, bring over the center, and place in the 5 o’clock position.
Lift the rope at 6 o’clock, bring over the center, and place in the 12 o’clock position. Lift the rope at 9 o’clock, bring over the center, and place in the 4 o’clock position.
Lift the rope at 3 o’clock and, working toward yourself, bring over the braid and place in the 8 o’clock position. Adjust ropes so they are at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions
Repeat these steps, working toward yourself, until you there is no dough left to braid. The loaf will naturally list to one side. Pinch the ends of the rope together and tuck both ends under the braid.
How to Braid 4-Strand Challah Video (<1 Minute)
To Store Challah Bread
Bread can be stored at room temperature in a bread bag, bread box or plastic wrap for 3-4 days. Refrigerate for up to 1 week
To freeze, slice bread and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for at least an hour then place in a freezer-safe bag and store in freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or defrost in the microwave at 50% power
Pro tips for making fluffy challah bread
- Most bread recipes call for you to knead your bread on a lightly 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 braid the ropes of bread dough. Also, this is a stiff and dry dough, so adding additional flour will increase the dryness, resulting in a much drier and denser loaf of bread. Nope, we do not want that
- When rolling out the 4 strands of dough for this challah recipe, taper the ends of all the ropes. This helps you create ends that are less bulky and more proportionate to the rest of the braid. Bulky ends may also require more baking time which could result in overbaking of the rest of your loaf
- Rather than baking your challah bread on a single baking sheet, stack two baking sheets on top of one another to keep the bottom of the loaf from getting too dark or burnt
- As difficult as it may be, follow the recipe instructions to allow the challah loaf to cool completely for at least 2 hours before slicing and eating. (Good luck with that one!)
Make ahead
To make this challah dough ahead of time: after the first rise and after braiding the dough, cover lightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes prior to baking
Vegan Challah
Vegan challah, also known as water challah, contains no eggs or honey. You're better off looking for a recipe that is specifically for vegan challah or water challah rather than trying to adapt this recipe. This will ensure the best results.
To substitute honey instead of sugar
The rule of thumb when swapping sugar for honey in baked goods is the following: For every 1 cup of sugar, substitute ½ to ⅔ cup honey and subtract ¼ cup of the water from the recipe.
To swap the granulated sugar for honey in this easy challah recipe, use ⅛ cup (2 tablespoons) honey and reduce the water in the dough to ⅛ cup (2 tablespoons). Add the honey with the flour and yeast in step 2 of making the dough. After the 20 minute rest, add the salt and knead.
Enjoy a sourdough bread but want to serve challah? Bake some sourdough challah that is great at dinner or perfect for breakfast!
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:
Ingredients
Flour Paste (Tangzhong)
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoons bread flour
Challah Dough
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks (reserve egg whites for egg wash, if desired)
- 2 ¾ cups bread flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast or rapid-rise yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Egg Wash
- 1 large egg or reserved egg whites from dough
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning optional
Instructions
Make Flour Paste:
- Whisk water and flour in a small bowl until no lumps remain½ cup water, 3 tablespoons bread flour
- Microwave, whisking every 20 seconds, until mixture thickens to a 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 Dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour paste from Step 1, water and vegetable oil. Then add the egg and egg yolks. Whisk well until combined1 large egg , ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 large egg yolks
- Add the flour and yeast. Fit mixer with dough hook and mix on low speed until all flour is moistened, 3 to 4 minutes. Cover with a clean towel and let stand for 20 minutes2 ¾ cups bread flour, 1 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- After the 20 minutes, remove the towel and add the sugar and salt to the bowl. Knead on medium speed for 9 minutes. Dough should be wrapped around the dough hook without sticking to the bottom or sides of the bowl. If the dough is sticking, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, up to ¼ cup more, allowing the flour to fully incorporate before adding more¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Transfer the dough to a clean counter and lightly coat the now-empty mixing bowl with vegetable oil. Form the dough into a ball and return it to the oiled bowl, turning to coat all sides lightly in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until about doubled in volume, about 1-1 ½ hours
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and stack on top of a second rimmed baking sheet to prevent the bottom of the bread from getting too browned or burnt. Set on your counter next to where you'll be shaping the dough
- Remove the dough from the bowl onto clean counter and press into an 8-inch square, expelling as much air as possible
- Cut the dough in half lengthwise to form 2 rectangles. Cut each rectangle in half lengthwise. You should have 4 equal strips of dough. Roll 1 strip of dough into a 16-inch rope. Continue rolling, tapering ends, until rope is 18 inches long. Repeat with remaining dough strips. Arrange ropes in plus-sign shape, with the ends overlapping in the center by ½ inch. Firmly press the center of the plus sign in the center to seal the ropes to each other and to the counter
Braid the Dough:
- Lift the rope at 12 o’clock, bring over the center, and place in the 5 o’clock position. Lift the rope at 6 o’clock, bring over the center, and place in the 12 o’clock position. Lift the rope at 9 o’clock, bring over the center, and place in the 4 o’clock position. Life the rope at 3 o’clock and, working toward yourself, bring over the braid and place in the 8 o’clock position. Adjust ropes so they are at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions
- Repeat these steps, working toward yourself, until you there is no dough left to braid. The loaf will naturally list to one side. Pinch the ends of the rope together and tuck both ends under the braid. Carefully transfer the braid to the prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough does not spring back fully when gently pressed with your knuckle, about 1-2 hours*. Rise time will vary based on the temperature of your kitchen
Make the Egg Wash:
- 30 Minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350º F. Whisk together egg (or reserved egg whites) and salt. Brush the loaf with egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning, if using1 large egg, pinch kosher salt, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or everything bagel seasoning
- Bake until the loaf is a deep golden brown and registers at least 195º F, 30 to 35 minutes. Let the loaf cool on the baking sheet for 20 minutes. Transfer baked loaf to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing, about 2 hours
Video
Notes
- *If you would prefer to bake the challah the next day, after shaping, cover lightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight, up to 12 hours. Remove the braided dough from the fridge when you preheat the oven to allow it to come to room temperature before baking.
- Bread can be stored at room temperature in a bread bag, bread box or plastic wrap for 3-4 days. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.
- To freeze, slice bread and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Freeze for at least an hour then place in a freezer-safe bag and store in freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or defrost in the microwave at 50% power.
- Recipe adapted from Cook’s illustrated Magazine, May & June 2019.
Nutrition
Comments
Bonnie Tallo says
This is my favorite challah recipe. Do you think it will work if I double all the ingredients?
Kimberlee Ho says
So glar to hear that, Bonnie! I usually make the recipe twice when making two, so I don't know for sure, but it should work if you double the ingredients. Let me know how it turns out!
Bonnie Tallo says
Thanks so much for your reply. For now I'll just stick with the original recipe. I recently got 8 tiny challahs that I made with my granddaughter.