Challah is a notoriously difficult bread to make, but it’s Rosh Hashanah, and what better time to learn how to make it than the New Year?
This was the first time I have ever tried to make challah, and I ended up with a pretty tasty loaf, and great french toast the next morning.
Note: This challah recipe was adapted from the one found here. It can make several mini challah rolls, 2 regular challot, or 1 large challah (I of course chose to go with the large one), so feel free to divide the dough as you see fit.
Challah Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Step #1: Pour 1 1/2 cups of warm water, 1 tsp sugar, 1 egg, 3 egg yolks, 1/3 cup honey, 2 tbsp vegetable (or canola or avocado) oil, and 2 tsp salt into a bowl and mix.
Step #2: Add 1 3/4 teaspoons of instant yeast and mix.
Step #3: Add the flour and knead with hands.
(make sure to add the flour by half cupfuls, I used 5 cups although this amount should differ from 4 1/2-6 cups).
This is what the dough should start to look like after a few cups of flour…
…and this is what mine looked like after I added all of my flour. (you should keep kneading until it feels smooth and is no longer sticky)
Step #4: First rise!
Remove the dough from the bowl and grease the bowl with oil before placing the dough back in. Meanwhile, boil water on the stove. Once the water is boiled, cover the bow with a damp kitchen towel and place the bowl in the oven (which should NOT be on). Then, place the pot of water underneath the bowl. Let the dough rise for an hour. (The picture below is what my dough looked like after that hour–you can see it has roughly doubled in size).
Step #5: Second rise!
Take the bowl out, bunch the dough down, and place it back in the oven for another hour. (The picture below is what my dough looked like after the second hour–it has again doubled in size).
Step #6: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into 3 sections (if making 1 large challah).
Step #7: Knead the dough, and roll it out so it’s flat.
Step #8: Roll the dough over itself so it makes a long strand.
Step #9: Repeat 2 more times.
Taper the ends of each strand of dough.
Step #10: Braid!
This part can be very complicated, so I would recommend looking at videos if you find that you can’t figure it out. I made a 3-strand challah, but you can also get more fancy with it!
Step #11: Make the egg wash!
Beat an egg, 1 tbsp cold water, and 1/2 tsp salt together and mix.
Step #12: Brush a layer of the egg wash onto your challah.
Then, let your challah rise for a third time (for 30 to 45 minutes).
Step #13: Bake!
Heat your oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes. (The picture below is what my challah looked like after 20 minutes–yes it will get huge).
Step #14: Bake again!
After 20 minutes, turn your tray around and bake for another 20 minutes. While it’s baking for this last time, you can put foil on your challah to keep it from browning too much once you like the color you see on top.
And here is my completed challah!
It takes a lot of time and care to make challah, but I felt the biggest sense of accomplishment once it was all done. It may never taste exactly like the challah made by the professionals, but this challah recipe is still going to be the hit of your kitchen!