Challah Bread Recipe With Instant Yeast

Challah is a rich and slightly sweet pillow-y bread that is traditionally served every week for the Sabbath and major Jewish holidays. Anyone can make it, though…and should! Despite its incredibly impressive look, preparing it is quite easy. And absolutely delicious. It’s truly a showstopper on any dinner table.

Simply put, Challah (pronounced “ha-luh” – the c is silent) is a yeast dough enriched with eggs and butter (or oil if keeping Kosher), with a little added sugar for sweetness. What sets it apart is how it’s prepared and the stunning presentation once baked. The dough is separated into strands and braided, brushed with an egg wash, then baked until tender and golden.

Challah

On a deeper level, it’s a special bread of Jewish origin, loaded with tradition and symbolism, typically served for Shabbat (or Sabbath, in English) Friday dinner and major Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashanah and Hanukkah.

Challah Recipe For The Kitchen Aide Recipe

Challah’s most magnificent characteristic is its gorgeous golden sheen and of course the braid. While it can be made in different shapes and sizes, the most traditional braid is a three-strand loaf, representing love, peace, and justice. Making two loaves of challah (and thus, six strands), is also known to symbolize the six work days of the week aside from Shabbat.

Round loaves are served for Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year. It’s meant to represent the continuity of a year, since a round loaf has no beginning or end.

Many people compare challah and brioche because they are very similar. Both are enriched yeast dough made with eggs, with a similar sweetness, golden shell, and pillow-like texture. For added flavor and texture, sprinkle on some sesame seeds or poppy seeds before baking.

Vegan Challah Bread

The most significant difference is that Challah is part of the Jewish culture and typically made with oil (instead of butter) to keep it kosher. To keep Kosher, dairy and meats are not to be eaten together. (NOTE: the recipe we’re sharing today does include butter. If keeping kosher, substitute with a neutral-flavored oil such as vegetable or canola.)

If you’re lucky enough to have any Challah leftover, leave some out on the counter overnight, uncovered, and put it to great use the next morning for the best french toast or use in a french toast casserole. Leftovers are also wonderful in bread pudding or for roast beef sandwiches.

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Easy Challah Bread Recipe

Storing leftovers: You can store your cooled challah on the counter for up to 4 days. Secure it tightly in plastic wrap, store it in a ziploc bag, or another airtight container to maintain freshness.

To freeze: You can freeze an entire loaf or individual slices. Wrap it in both plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. It will keep in the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw on the counter before enjoying.

Classic Challah Recipe

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.

Subscribe for free to receive new weekly recipes and instantly get a week’s worth of family meals that are quick, easy, and inexpensive to make!With its rich, slightly sweet flavor, shiny golden crust, and pillowy interior, challah isn’t just for the Jewish holidays — it appeals to everyone, any time!

Best Challah (egg Bread)

Challah is the bread of celebration in Jewish tradition, but I put it in the matzo ball soup and bagel category: it appeals to everyone. It’s a rich, slightly sweet loaf with a shiny, golden crust and pillowy-soft interior. But what makes it truly special is its distinctive braid, which symbolizes, among other things, the joining together of family and friends. Rest assured, challah looks like far more trouble than it actually is. Think of it as a once-in-a-while baking therapy project. Kneading and braiding the dough, smelling the challah baking in the oven—it really is satisfying. And when the long braided loaf is presented at the dinner table, it is a sight to behold!

I owe much of the credit for this recipe to Nanci Hirschorn, one of my lovely readers, who has been perfecting her challah recipe for over thirty-five years. Thank you, Nanci, for all the pointers! Heads up: this recipe makes one 16-in loaf. It’s huge! If you have leftovers, use it to make French toast.

Challah is part of my yeast bread collection, which includes other enriched bread recipes, like brioche and babka – rich-tasting breads with a higher proportion of eggs, sugar, butter, and milk – as well as classics like no-knead artisan bread, focaccia, and naan.

Challah In A Hurry Recipe

The recipe calls for instant or rapid-rise yeast, which rises faster than regular active dry yeast. Once opened, yeast will keep in the refrigerator for three to six months. Yeast is sold in jars (as pictured) or individual packets. If you don’t do a lot of bread baking, it’s best to buy the packets; just note that the quantity required for this recipe (1 tablespoon) is more than one packet.

Be sure your eggs are room temperature; this dough is slow to rise and cold eggs will slow it down even further.

Knead on medium-low speed until you have a sticky dough that clings to the bottom of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes. The dough may seem too wet but have faith—it’s supposed to be.

Homemade Braided Challah

Dust your hands generously with flour, then scrape the sticky, elastic dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour.

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or nonstick cooking spray. Place the dough in the bowl, flip it over once so the top is lightly oiled, and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it’s puffy and doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours. Keep in mind that when baking yeast breads, rising times are only a guide. The temperature in your kitchen, the humidity level outdoors, and how you knead the dough will all affect the rising time.

Overnight Challah — Betsy Bakes

If you have a little girl in your life, or were ever a summer camp counselor, you have an advantage with braiding challah. But even if not, I assure you it’s easy to do. There are dozens of methods, but I think this 4-strand braid is the easiest

Cut the dough into four even pieces. (If you want to be exact, each piece should weigh approximately 9 oz or 260 g.)

Best

Stretch and roll each piece into a rope about 20-inches long. Lay the ropes parallel to one another (vertically). Pinch them tightly together at the top, and then fan them out. If the ropes shrink a bit, just work them back into their original length.

Homemade Bread Recipes With Yeast · The Typical Mom

Begin by taking the strand farthest to the right and weave it toward the left through the other strands using this pattern: over, under, over.

Carefully transfer the braided loaf to a parchment-lined 13 x 18-inch baking sheet. Cover the loaf loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm, draft-free spot until about 1.5 times the size, 1 to 2 hours. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. (Note that the loaf will continue to rise a bit in the oven.) In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg and brush the beaten egg generously over the risen dough. (Note: If you like, sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds onto the challah before putting it in the oven.)

Place the baking sheet atop another baking sheet; this will prevent the bottom crust from browning too much. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the crust is a rich brown color and the internal temperature is between 190°F and 200°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a rack to cool. Challah is best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers will keep for a few days in a sealed plastic bag.

The Challah Of Our Dreams: Light, Fluffy, Perfectly Chewy

I'd love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @.

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