You’ll absolutely love this easy Challah Bread recipe. It produces a soft, rich, slightly sweet braided loaf with a golden-brown crust and an airy, tender crumb. This is a reliable homemade challah everyone can make—perfect for sandwiches, French toast, or simply tearing off a piece and enjoying with honey or jam.
Easy Homemade Challah
Challah is a fluffy, cloud-like enriched bread that’s well worth trying at home. The dough is enriched with eggs and oil, giving it extra flavor, a tender crumb, and a beautiful sheen when brushed with egg wash. It’s straightforward to make, and most of the time is hands-off while the dough rises. Once you try it, you’ll likely bake it again and again.
What Makes Challah Different?
Challah is an enriched yeast bread. Compared to basic white sandwich bread or a baguette, challah contains eggs and additional fat (oil), which add tenderness, richness, and a subtly sweet flavor. While brioche uses butter for richness, challah traditionally uses oil—resulting in a slightly different but equally luxurious texture.
Challah is usually braided and lightly sweetened, but you can adjust shaping and sweetness to suit your taste. Keep in mind that reducing sugar may affect how well the dough rises.
What You’ll Need
This recipe uses a short list of common pantry ingredients. Below are the essentials.
For the Bread
- Dry yeast: One packet (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast.
- Warm water: About 1 cup; warm to the touch but not hot.
- Sugar: Adds mild sweetness and helps feed the yeast.
- Honey: Adds flavor and a gentle sweetness.
- Eggs: Room temperature eggs work best for even mixing and rise.
- Vegetable oil: Gives tenderness—neutral-flavored oil is recommended, or substitute olive oil if preferred.
- Flour: All-purpose or bread flour. If using bread flour, you may need slightly more liquid to reach a smooth, elastic dough.
- Salt: For flavor balance.
For Topping
- Egg: One egg, beaten for the egg wash to create a shiny, golden crust.
- Sesame seeds: Optional, for a classic finish and extra texture.
Let’s Make Challah!
Read through the steps before starting if you’re new to bread baking. The process is simple and methodical.
- Activate the yeast: In a small bowl, combine the yeast, warm water, sugar, and honey. Let sit until a frothy layer forms, about 5–10 minutes.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a stand mixer or large bowl, whisk the eggs and oil together on low speed until combined.
- Form the dough: Add the yeast mixture, flour, and salt to the eggs and oil. Using a dough hook or by hand, mix and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. Add flour, one tablespoon at a time, if the dough is too wet.
- First rise: Grease a large bowl with oil, shape the dough into a ball, and place it in the bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1–2 hours.
- Deflate and knead: Gently punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead briefly, about 3–5 minutes, until smooth.
- Shape: Divide the dough into three equal pieces. Roll each into a long rope roughly 1–2 inches in diameter. Pinch the ropes together at the top and braid to the bottom, pinching the ends to seal.
- Second rise: Place the braided loaf on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with a damp towel, and let rise 30–60 minutes until puffy.
- Egg wash and bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush the loaf with beaten egg and sprinkle sesame seeds if desired. Bake 35–40 minutes, until deeply golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If needed, bake a few minutes longer in short increments.
- Cool: Transfer the baked challah to a wire rack and cool before slicing.
Helpful Tips
These practical tips will help your challah turn out well every time:
- Verify yeast: If the yeast mixture doesn’t become frothy within 10 minutes, the yeast may be inactive—use fresh yeast.
- Kneading test: The dough is ready when it’s smooth, elastic, and springs back slightly when poked without sticking to your fingers.
- Warm rise: Keep the dough in a warm, draft-free spot for best rise. If needed, place it in the oven (turned off) with a pan of hot water to create gentle warmth and humidity.
- Rise check: A gentle poke should leave an indentation that doesn’t immediately fill back in when the dough has risen enough.
- Bake check: The loaf is done when it’s deep golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If in doubt, bake a few minutes more.
Easy Variations
Challah is versatile—try these simple variations to change flavor or shape:
- Mix-ins: Fold in raisins, dried fruit, or chocolate chunks after the first rise for a sweet twist.
- Shapes: Make small braided rolls, a 4- or 5-strand braid, a round loaf, or bake the dough in a loaf pan for sandwich-style bread.
- Flavor additions: Add cinnamon-sugar, chopped herbs, garlic powder, or cracked pepper for savory versions.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Store challah at room temperature in an airtight container or wrapped tightly. It will stay fresh for several days; best within 3–4 days.
- To refresh slightly stale challah, warm slices in a 300°F oven for 5–10 minutes or toast for immediate serving.
Can I Freeze This?
- Yes. Wrap the cooled loaf tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. Freeze up to three months.
- Thaw at room temperature before slicing and serving; reheat briefly in the oven if desired.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
- 1 cup warm water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 whole eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 5 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
For Topping
- 1 whole egg, room temperature (for egg wash)
- 1–2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the yeast, warm water, sugar, and honey. Let it rest until frothy.
- In a mixer or bowl, combine the eggs and oil on low speed until blended.
- Add the yeast mixture, flour, and salt. Knead with a dough hook or by hand until the dough is smooth, elastic, and not sticky, adding flour sparingly if needed.
- Grease a large bowl with oil, shape the dough into a ball, coat it in oil, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled (1–2 hours).
- Punch down the dough, knead briefly on a floured surface, and divide into three equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into a long rope, pinch the tops together, and braid. Pinch the ends to seal.
- Place the braid on a greased baking sheet, cover, and let rise 30–60 minutes until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the loaf with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds if using.
- Bake 35–40 minutes until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate. Values may vary by ingredients and tools used.
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