There is nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked homemade bread, coming out of the oven piping hot. Be sure to also try our Sweet Molasses Brown Bread, Homemade French Bread, and Easy Homemade Rye Bread. I was surprised when my DNA results came back informing me that I have a small amount of Eastern European Jewish ancestry that I previously did not know about. Even though I make no claims to the authenticity of this challah bread recipe, I love the idea of exploring ancestry through food and this challah bread reminds me of the millions of women who have braided loaves of this rich egg bread to serve in their homes. This is a recipe and tradition I hope to pass down to my girls. Sure, you can buy loaves of challah bread at a decent bakery. But there is nothing like a fresh loaf baking in your own oven. It fills your home with the most wonderful aroma and when it comes out all glistening and golden brown, it is a thing of beauty. I’ve been making this challah bread recipe for years now and it still makes me giddy to pull these gorgeous loaves out of the oven. This challah bread recipe really is THE BEST.
What is Challah Bread?
Challah is a rich, traditional Jewish bread served on the Sabbath or to celebrate holidays. Challah (also sometimes known as “egg bread”) is a made with eggs, a little sugar, and some oil, along with common bread ingredients of water, flour, yeast and salt. Because of the added eggs and fat, this challah recipe has a rich flavor and wonderful texture that makes it perfect for Monte Cristo Sandwiches, french toast, or bread pudding! Challah bread is most often braided into long six-strand braids or round braided loaves. Then the loaves are brushed with an egg wash two times which gives wonderful color to these stunning loaves. We like to eat one of the loaves with dinner when it’s freshly made and save the other one to use for something else later. Like many bread recipes, this challah bread is best when fresh, within the first day or two, but it freezes beautifully as well. You can freeze challah bread for up to 1 month wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Just let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours before slicing.
Challah Pronunciation
Challah is most easily pronounced “haa-luh” (as in “holla back” – I can’t believe I just typed that). The “ch” can also be pronounced the same as in the German word “buch” or the Scottish word “loch”. But it’s not actually pronounced with a hard “ch” sound like in the English word “cherry”, even though it’s tempting for most of us English speakers to read it that way.
Best Challah Recipe ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Water: You want your water to be lukewarm-warm, not cold, and not hot. Yeast: Use active dry yeast for best results. Sugar: White granulated sugar will work fine. Oil: I use vegetable oil, but you can use olive oil or extra virgin olive oil too. Eggs: Lots of eggs to help the bread rise into its signature fluffiness! Salt: Enhances the flavors of the bread. Flour: All-Purpose Flour works well for challah bread; you don’t need specific bread flour! Topping: Sesame seeds or poppy seeds. (Optional)
How to Make Challah Bread
The reason this is the best challah bread is not only that it tastes delicious, but it is easier to make than it looks. I know it might sound intimidating, but you will be surprised at how simple challah is to make. Yes, it does take a little time – a few hours from start to finish – but hardly any longer than a simple loaf of Amish White Bread and definitely not as long as a babka (incidentally, another braided Jewish bread, though I don’t make it on regular basis like I do challah).
Braiding Challah
There are many ways to braid challah bread. 3-strand braid, 4-strand braid, or 6-strand braids are all popular. So is a round braided challah loaf. I’m sharing how to do a 6-strand braid and a round braid since those are the two we use most often.
Six-Strand Challah Braid
Round Braided Challah Bread
Now go on and give that six-strand or round braided challah a try! Get the full recipe below and I guarantee it will be the best challah bread you have ever tried!
More Braids
This is one of my most popular, well-loved recipes and sometimes I receive images from readers who made this. I wanted to share some of the beautiful challah bread loaves they have sent using this recipe!
Challah Bread Tips
Let it rise. Twice. Set the dough in a warm place to rise in order to get the deliciously fluffy centers. It will need to properly double in size and this can take about 1½ – 2 hours. After braiding the bread it will need to rise for a second time, for about 30 to 45 minutes. Letting it rise twice gives it that signature fluffy texture. Stand mixer. You can use a stand mixer that has a large bowl, with a dough hook attachment on low speed to knead the dough if you like. My standard-size KitchenAid mixer can’t quite handle this much dough so I pretty much always finish kneading by hand. Simply place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Parchment paper. Make sure to line your baking sheet with parchment paper, otherwise, the bread will stick to the pan. Alternatively, use a silicone mat.
How to store this Challah Bread Recipe
Like many bread recipes, this challah bread is best when fresh, within the first day or two, although it will still be good for up to about a week if you are planning to use it for French toast. Store it on the counter wrapped in plastic wrap or in an airtight ziplock or bread bag. Challah bread also freezes beautifully. You can freeze challah bread for up to 1 month if it is wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then placed in a freezer-safe ziplock bag or wrapped again in foil for protection from freezer burn. Just let it thaw at room temperature for a few hours before slicing it.
What to do With Challah Bread
Eat it plain or with butter, honey, or jam. This challah recipe has a rich flavor and wonderful texture, thanks to the added eggs and fat. It’s almost impossible to resist slicing right into eat and eating thick slices while the bread is still warm. We love it plain, but it’s mind-blowingly good with a drizzle or honey or a smear of nutella or jam. Use it for breakfast. Challah bread makes the best French toast ever. You can use it for regular French toast or go whole-hog with a stuffed French toast recipe instead. It’s also great for a breakfast casserole. Make dessert. Challah bread makes truly fantastic bread pudding. You can even use it to make a shortcake-style dessert by serving it with macerated berries and cream on top. It’s great for grilled cheese or other sandwiches, including our favorite Monte Cristo sandwiches. Let me know how you used your challah bread in the comments below!
Substitutions and Variations
Seeds. You can use different kinds of seeds to top the bread, like sesame seeds, poppy seeds or even sunflower seeds or everything bagel mix for something a bit different. Savory flavors. Give your bread a more savory flavor by adding garlic and rosemary to the dough mix. Sweet flavors. Add some raisins or other dried fruits to make this into more of a sweet bread. Shapes. Make your loaf into different shapes depending on how or when you’d like to serve it.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
Easy Homemade Rye Bread Sweet Molasses Brown Bread Easy Rosemary Focaccia Bread
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen.
Homemade French Bread
Roasted Garlic & Rosemary No-Knead Artisan Bread
Soft & Fluffy Lion House Rolls
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see. This post was originally published in February, 2017. The photos and content were updated in December, 2022.
