Challah, with its subtly sweet taste and satisfying chew, is a visual and culinary delight. Whether for Hanukkah or Rosh Hashanah, this bread captivates with its beauty and deliciousness.
Challah Delight with Everything Bagel Seasoning
CheziSupreme Challah Infused with the Irresistible Flavor of Everything Bagel Seasoning
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Category
Bread Recipes
Cuisine
Breads, Rolls & Pastries
Servings
24
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Introduction:
Slightly sweet with a pillowy-soft interior that has a slight satisfying chew to it, a challah loaf is impressive by taste alone, but the true wow factor is in its presentation.
Impressive Presentation:
Whether you serve this signature bread at your Hanukkah festivities or decide to switch the traditional round for a loaf at Rosh Hashanah, challah will be the addition on your table that's just as beautiful to look at as it is delicious to eat.
What is challah?
Challah is a yeasted dough, enriched with eggs and oil with a little bit of added honey for that signature subtle sweetness. Similar to brioche, the bread is slightly sweet and wonderfully soft inside. Brioche typically contains milk and butter, but challah doesn’t contain any dairy. While the bread's soft texture can hardly be beat, what really sets challah apart is its traditional braided presentation and shiny golden crust.
The signature braid:
To give challah its stunning look, the dough is braided before baking. While challah's presentation can differ (see our round challah and challah rolls), a braided loaf is the most traditional way to bake the bread. You can go crazy with a 4- or 6-stranded braid if you prefer, but we went with the classic 3-strand for simplicity in this recipe.
Simple Braiding Technique:
For a simple braid, lay 3 ropes of dough parallel next to each other. Pinch the very tops together. Take the far left piece and place it over the middle piece, making it the middle piece. Then take the far right piece and place it over the middle piece so that it’s now in the middle. Repeat this process from left to right until you reach the end of the dough. Pinch the pieces together, and you're done! Tip: You can tuck the very bottom and very top under itself to help give a cleaner-looking braid.
Storage:
Challah, like most breads, is best the day it’s made, but it stores well in a paper bag wrapped tightly in plastic wrap for up to 3 days. This challah recipe makes two loaves because, if you’re putting in the effort to make homemade bread, you should get double the reward for it.
Pro Tip for Storage:
If you only need one loaf at a time, wrap the completely cooled second loaf tightly in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil. We love it toasted to help bring it back to life—reheat the frozen loaf in a 350° oven. For even easier serving, pre-slice the loaf so that you can take out and reheat individual slices as needed.
Looking for ways to use up that leftover challah?
Hint: It makes for some of the best French toast or bread pudding.
Ingredients
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1 (1/4-oz) packet active dry yeast
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6 cups (720 g) bread flour
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1 tbsp. kosher salt
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3 large eggs
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2 large egg yolks
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½ cup vegetable oil
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⅓ cup honey
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Cooking spray
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1 large egg white
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1 tsp. granulated sugar
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Brooklyn Home Goods Everything Bagel Seasoning Blend Topping
Directions
Begin by combining yeast and 3/4 cup of lukewarm water in a small bowl or measuring cup. Allow it to sit until it becomes foamy, typically taking around 5 minutes.
In the large bowl of a stand mixer equipped with the dough hook, whisk together flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture, eggs, egg yolks, oil, and honey. Beat the ingredients on medium-high speed until a smooth dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This process usually takes 5 to 10 minutes, and the dough will remain slightly sticky.
Spray a large bowl with cooking spray and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover it and let the dough rise until it is nearly doubled in size, which should take approximately 2 hours.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. On a work surface, turn out the dough and divide it into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into an 18-inch-long rope that is about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place three ropes on a prepared sheet, arranging the dough on a diagonal if necessary. Pinch the tops together and tuck them under, using lightly wet hands if needed. Braid the dough into one long rope, pinch the bottom ends together, and tuck them under the braid. Repeat this process with the remaining dough on the second baking sheet.
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise until it has doubled in size, feels very soft and relaxed, and when gently poked, an indentation very slowly springs back. This typically takes about 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and arrange racks in the top and bottom thirds. In a small bowl, whisk together egg white, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of water. Generously brush this mixture over the risen dough.
Bake the bread, rotating trays from top to bottom halfway through, until it turns golden brown, usually taking 30 to 35 minutes. Allow the bread to cool to room temperature before slicing.