best challah (egg bread)
I only know one Yiddish phrase (well, two, if you can count farshikkert, which is a pretty awesome way to say someone is three sheets to the wind), but conveniently, it is my favorite. A shonda for the goyim means, roughly, that someone of the Jewish faith is not only doing something shameful (shonda), but doing it in front of non-Jews, which of course is an entirely worse offense. Like, it would be bad enough to, say, eat ham and cheese on matzo on Passover (or, I suspect, ever and boy, do I have a great story about that but first let me see if I can get my mother to pay me not to share it) but it would be doubly more awful to do it in front of a person outside your faith. You would, in fact, bring shame upon your entire people, mostly because when given the choice between the most or least dramatic interpretation of an event, I think can safely say that my people will generally opt for the former.
Anyway, I love the phrase so much, I use it all of the time, including times when it’s probably totally inappropriate. For example, the other day someone suggested that I might consider adding a Jewish Recipe index to smittenkitchen.com’s new Topic Indexes. I began to look for Jewish or holiday-themed recipes in my archives and came to a terrible realization: The offerings were quite paltry. Not only is there no brisket in there, where are the kreplach (dumplings), the kugels and my mother’s amazing apple cake? How can I not have a single recipe for challah?
A shonda, indeed.
Well, I aim to get us swiftly up to speed. Challah, or egg bread, is a lot like brioche in that it is a slightly sweet bread enriched with both eggs and fat, except challah uses oil instead of butter, and less of it, while using more eggs. It is mildly decadent and seriously delicious and it is a known fact across all lands (or at least diners in the tri-state area) that when slightly staled, makes the most amazing French toast there could be. Seriously. I actually get disappointed when I order French toast and receive a stack without the telltale crust of poppy seeds on it.
To bake it at home is to have your apartment swallowed whole by the an aroma so sweet, it alone could make a religious person out of you. I don’t know if it is the eggs or oils or extra sugar in there, but it puts all bread-baking aromas before it to shame, the kind of glorious scent you will want to walk around in a haze of in the days that follow. As you should. As we all should.
Bread-phobic? Check out my tips for beaming and bewitching breads before you start.
One year ago: Couscous and Feta Stuffed Peppers (Still our favorite!)
Two years ago: Fougasse
Best Challah (Egg Bread)
Adapted from Joan Nathan
The secrets to good challah are simple: Use two coats of egg wash to get that laquer-like crust and don’t overbake it. Joan Nathan, who this recipe is adapted from, adds that three risings always makes for the tastiest loaves, even better if one of them is slowed down in the fridge.
Time: about 1 hour, plus 2 1/2 hours’ rising
Yield: 2 loaves
1 1/2 packages active dry yeast (1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon salt
8 to 8 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins per challah, if using, plumped in hot water and drained
Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling.
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.
2. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading, but be careful if using a standard size KitchenAid–it’s a bit much for it, though it can be done.)
3. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.
4. At this point, you can knead the raisins into the challah, if you’re using them, before forming the loaves. To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.
5. Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.
6. If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. Sprinkle bread with seeds, if using. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.
7. Bake in middle of oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden. (If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take it out when it hits an internal temperature of 190 degrees.) Cool loaves on a rack.
Note: Any of the three risings can be done in the fridge for a few hours, for more deeply-developed flavor. When you’re ready to work with it again, bring it back to room temperature before moving onto the next step.
Round or straight braid? Raisins or skip them? Straight loaves of braided challah are eaten throughout the year–typically on the Sabbath–round challahs, often studded with raisins, are served for the New Year and the other High Holidays that follow. I made one of each, so you could see examples.
woot! first post! any recommendations about bread braiding instructionals?
Beautiful! Can’t wait to try this.
The braiding instructions in the recipe are the clearest and easiest I have followed yet. In fact, they are the only ones I have ever been successful with, that is, for such an elaborate braid. Best advice? Have someone read them aloud to you. It is way too hard to keep reading and going back to braiding–you’ll lose your place.
Following up on Courtney’s request, can you make a round-ish loaf with this recipe? Being the new year and all.
This shiksah is thrilled you’re sharing your challah recipe. Your rugelach pinwheels made me farhklempt–now I’m simply over the moon again!
Oh, this looks fantastic! You know, sometimes it’s the most ingrained recipes that never get shared…thanks for bringing this one out!
To make a round loaf, simply bring the ends of the braids together, explained in step 4. The second picture is a round one, finished. Here’s another shot, as well.
doh, sorry! I will try to read the recipe all the way through next time instead of just drooling over your photos. I should put a shmatta over my embarrassed face!
Once again you take something that makes me think “oh my, that’s far too complicated for me” and make it seem so simple. I’m feeling confident about my bread making abilities thanks to that wheat bread recipe so I’ll have to give this a try.
Man! I am totally making that this weekend. Along with the honey cake. Right. At least my fellow vet students can share come Monday.
As an aside, I just made your roasted grape tomatoes for the 4th time (!), and they were perfect as always. Now if I can keep my 13-month-old and my husband away from them, I might actually be able to get some!
For those of use who don’t like raisins, can they be optional?
Wow. I just learned how to make rolls look somewhat normal. Maybe someday I’ll be a big girl and be able to make this. It looks wonderful… and I can only imagine that it’s better than the store bought Challah.
A challah related shonda: Putting easter eggs in a challah. Just so so so wrong.
The raisins are optional. They are often used for the High Holidays, as is the round format. In the instructions, there are options for making it with or without the raisins, and either braided straight or in a ring.
“Like, it would be bad enough to, say, eat ham and cheese on matzo on Passover”
Hahaha, I got in a bunch of trouble for this: http://www.alarmingnews.com/archives/007200.html
Your breads always look so fabulous, and I love that YOU love baking bread as much as I do! I’ve been a sucker for Challah since I was a teen, and my Jewish friends would come over for Christmas and Easter, I would go there for Channukkah and Passover. That’s also where I developed the habit of drinking four glasses of wine with dinner.
(FINALLY an excuse!!)
I’ve been itching to bake something for a while, and with the holiday coming up, what wonderful timing! I’m off to make this recipe now, and freeze a couple loaves to bring back home to Jersey for Rosh Hashana dinner. In terms of freezers and challah, though, do you brush it with the egg wash before freezing, or after defrosting? Both?
I’ve always wondered how the braiding was done! I love this bread..and like you said..it’s especially good as french toast.
Observation..you said to roll the dough balls into 12 inch strands for braiding. Is that long enough for a 6 strand straight braid or especially to curl the braid into a circle?
Do you have a pics of the braiding and making the circle?
I wonder if it’s okay to do the first rise/rest in the fridge overnight. The subsequent two rests the next morning at room temp?
Any thoughts on this Deb?
You are being so patient with people who are asking questions that were already covered in the directions! :) I did see that it barely fits into a standard kitchen aid bowl. Did you do it that way, or did you knead by hand???
Thanks!
Sooo…is it a shonda for the goyem that I use milk and butter in my challah recipe, making it non-pareve? I certainly hope hot… But I’ll give this recipe a try just in case :).
Beautiful beautiful bread. Just the ticket for the rainy Saturday that lies ahead of me. And if, despite such excellent instructions, the six-strand braid seems too daunting, Cooks Illustrated had a simplified technique a couple of years ago: You essentially make two three-strand braids, one slightly smaller than the other, and then lay the smaller one on top of the larger, pinch the ends of the braids togehter, and tuck the ends undneath.
Those are really beautiful loaves! Hope you have some left over for your French toast! ;)
Challah back girl!
I had it once. The one time I was ever invited for Shabbat dinner. I haven’t been asked back. I don’t know what I said? It must of been Jill’s fault. She probably embarrassed herself in front of her own people.
Rose — You brush it with the egg wash both before the final rise and before you put it in the oven. Step 5 notes that if you choose to freeze it before the final rise, that you should brush it first.
Susan — I didn’t measure to see if they were exactly 12-inches, but I am sure mine were close. Because everyone braids a little differently–more tight, more loose–people will end up with different length final braids. You can always stretch the braid lengthwise or in the case of the straight braided loaf, kind of smooth it to make it shorter, if need be.
Jacquie — You can do any of the risings at room temperature or in the fridge. The only rule is that if you get it from the fridge, that you get it back to room temp. before moving onto the next step.
Kirsti — I did at first use the knead setting but got frustrated with the way it kept winding itself around the top of the attachment (ew) and finished it by hand. However, you can knead it in two parts, if you wish, and then throw them back into one bowl to let it rise.
I have no room in my freezer for the extra loaf. Do you think this would work halved? I’ve been tinkering with a Nick Malgieri recipe, but I would love to try this one too. I use a straight 3 braid, though. Anything else gives me a headache.
I actually just got home from picking up our challah for tonight! It truly is the best type of bread…I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t just fall in love with it on their first bite! I’ve never made it myself though…I guess that would be a shonda :) I really should try but I do have a fear of bread making and I don’t think it will be conquered anytime soon.
When I make french toast, I only use challah bread. It’s a bit harder to find out here in Seattle area, but there’s a bakery down the way that makes it every Saturday.
Sharon — You can totally halve the recipe. In fact, I would have myself if I weren’t so intent upon give you all examples of both shapes. I have already given away parts of the sliced loaf to the exterminator, the cleaning lady and a friend who lives in the neighborhood!
Wow. I have been waiting for a fabulous challah recipe and it looks like this is it! Thanks!
I’ve made that recipe and I love it! Your Challah looks perfect and delicious! Have you tried Beth Hensperger’s version? It isn’t bad at all!
Cheers,
Rosa
Oh, I just love fresh Challa smell! Reminds me of Friday afternoon before shabat. Thanks for the recipe!
The honey cake will be tried tomorrow, it seem way too good :)
Makes me want traditions like these…
at least there’s nothing about goyim making challah bread!
I LOVE Challah bread, I will try this.
Jess, once again you managed to post a recipe for the VERY SAME THING I was coming to see if you had. Get out of my head. And into my kitchen. As always, looks delicious.
YOU TUBE. There’s a lady who has an absolutely fantastic video of how to braid the 6-braid challah. Find a video demo online.
Problem solved!
I make a similar recipe and just love to make it because it’s so lovely, braided and brown. Beautiful photo!
I was going to read about challah, when my eyes zeroed in on the phrase “mother’s amazing apple cake.”
APPLE CAKE APPLE CAKE APPLE CAKE
please.
Margo..thanks for the Youtube demo tip. The video was very helpful.
I’m so glad you posted this, I’ve been thinking about making challah for a while now and now I don’t even have to go looking for a recipe! I do have a question, though — is it one and a half packages of yeast, or one and a half tablespoons? Aren’t most packages of dry yeast two and a half tablespoons? All of mine are. Am I buying the wrong sort of yeast?
*Oh. My. Goodness*
This Challah looks beautiful.
Oh. My.
jamaiia- Most packages of dry yeast are 2 1/2 teaspoons though for whatever reason people just round it up to a tablespoon. Nevertheless, one and a half would be about 1 1/2 tablespoons.
Your six-braided challah looks lovely. I have been making the three-braided variety for years, continually taking the easy way out. I, like Dana, opt for the milk and butter challah, probably a shonda when I served brisket but last year we had a vegetarian holiday so I felt guilt-free. I is much richer than the oil version.
http://www.izzyeats.com/2008/09/rosh-hashanah-is-almost-here-time-to.html
This looks beautiful! I made my first challah back in April and I think it’s one of the prettiest breads out there. Your braid looks beautiful. I made Peter Reinhart’s recipe last time, but I would love to give this recipe a shot to see how they compare.
OMG, you literally had me squeal at the sight of the first photo. Its gorgeous! I decided I’m making challah this weekend, and I’m not even Jewish.
Perfection! I tried several different challah recipes last year and none lived up to the challah of my dreams. You’ve never steered me wrong so this is so getting made tomorrow.
Wow, this tempts me to make bread. I’m afraid! but this is gorgeous.
I love challah and I haven’t had it in awhile…I’ll have to try to make it sometime. : )
i haven’t had any challah bread since i was in jerusalem 10 years ago!!! i keep saying i need to find a recipe and just make it and i never do… no excuses now! i think i’m more partial to the seame seeds, but who couldn’t use a few poppy seeds every now and then!! :)
This looks fantastic. I’m not sure I’ve ever come across a Challah bread myself, but it looks close to our so-called “Hefezopf” (which would translate to yeast braid – creative name, isn’t it?). I especially like the poppy seeds on the top, but wow – a six-stranded braid! You leave me in awe, and a urgent need to try this recipe.
I’m one of THOSE Jews, who make challah every Shabbat, and I’ve tried every single recipe ever including Joan Nathans. Nothing, but nothing tops the recipe in the original Jewish Catalog, the one with the orange cover. It’s a dairy recipe, but it tastes just as good if you use margarine instead of butter. But I HIGHLY recommend using the butter one time, so you can taste the most excellent, sweetest, delectable Challah on the earth.
Little known fact about me: I used to live across the street from Alan Ginsberg, the poet, and he told me that my challah was the best he’d ever had. Now that’s a recommendation!
I recommend YouTube, too. This is a good one but I recommend fast forwarding to 2:10 (unless you want to watch a 2-minute explanation of how to divide a lump of dough into 6 pieces):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22p3wIHLupc
Thank you for sharing. I look forward to hearing about your mother’s apple cake, too.
looks great but not as much as the honey cake
What a beautiful bread!
Like brioche, challah, when a bit stale (or not! Who can wait that long?) makes a lovely bread and butter pudding. Get an ovenproof dish - I use a Pyrex casserole dish, but I’m abnormal- and butter it. Cut slices of the bread and butter them. Lay the slices in layers in the dish, overlapping slightly. When you reach the top of the dish, stop.
In another bowl or a large measuring cup, beat about four eggs and two cups of milk with a generous grating of nutmeg, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and about half a cup of sugar or less. Add a dollop of your favourite booze, if you like: whiskey or bourbon is good, as is rum, brandy or Bailey’s (yum!).
Pour this slowly over the bread and allow to steep for about half an hour, while you turn the oven on to 180 C or 350 F. Cook for 45 minutes, or until it’s puffy and browned. It’s a good idea to put it on a sheet or pan, in case of overflow (I’m not always a good judge of volume.)
Eat it hot or cold. Hot is best, with a little cream or ice cream.
You can, if you’re really feeling decadent, smear the pieces of bread with orange or ginger marmalade after buttering them, or scatter raisins, currants or nuts between the layers. I’ve made this with regular bread, brioche, challah and croissants, and haven’t found a bad variation yet (not that I was looking!)
L’Shana Tova!
I am off to make a challah!
btw…I make Kreplach every year…I stick a piece of flanken in my chicken soup, and save after draining the soup…
saute a large onion in a little …ssshhhhhh…chicken fat, that I skim from the soup…ok… you can use canola oil…shred in the flanken, season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whiz it in the food processor. Make up a batch of egg noodle dough…your favorite recipe. I roll the dough out into sheets with my hand cranked pasta machine….cut into squares…add about a teaspoon of the meat filling ,wet edges and seal into a triangle….drop into boiling
water….they will float when done….thats it really…warm up in your soup before serving….Rosh Hashana heaven!
Thanks. I’ve been waiting for you to post this. Sweet New Year to you! Thanks for sharing.
“Holla”
Sorry. I just had to say it.
Also…………leftover challah makes excellent bread pudding!
L’CHAIM!!
Deb, this post is so funny to me because I’m converting to Judaism (I know, with my last name who would have guessed that Myles Standish is my great (x5) grandfather. Oh, America.). Anyway, I came back to print out the honey cake recipe saw the challah and thought. “Great, Deb is going to usher me through all these new holidays!” Only to find out that this is a new trend for SK. Keep them coming because I need all the help I can get. :-)
I used to adore making Challah when I was in high school. We had a bread machine and I scoffed at it and would make my beautiful braided loafs … I haven’t made one in at least 10 years though, and this makes me think I should start again!
I’ve been searching for a great challah recipe with Rosh Hashanah coming in the next few days… we have a great bakery to get it from, but I’d love to make it at home and this sounds like a great way to start.
I’ve made challah a few times, but never with raisins! This I must try
Hi,
I love baking challa bread!!! I always make the Wolfgang Puck recipe from this book: http://www.ecookbooks.com/p-6149-wolfgang-puck-makes-it-easy.aspx?affiliateID=10116 .
Jewish cooking: I just posted a recomendation for a cookbook with wonderful recipes on my blog: Jewish Cooking For Dummies cookbook - http://wflavors.blogspot.com/2008/09/jewish-cooking-for-dummies-cookbook.html
oh wow. this is stunning. looks like a great recipe.
I’m making your ricotta pancakes tomorrow for breakfast. I’m never good at these kinds of things. by the time I figure out how to cook the pancakes properly, I’ve eaten 100 of them and can’t bear to look at the griddle any longer. alas. I’m going to try to have patience.
That is by far the best looking challah bread I’ve ever seen. Excellent work and presentation, I just want to rip a piece off of that wonderfully chewy eggy bread…
Beautiful challah! Even though yeast scares me, I will attempt to make this today! I also would love to try the recipe for the apple cake- I just had a slice of one for the first time from a local bakery and it was amazing!
My son Ezra (age 12) has been baking challah all by himself for over a year and a half. When I saw that he took an interest in the whole yeast process whenever I baked, I taught him how to do it step by step. He now sells up to 22 challahs every other week and is donating the money to a charity - all this in honor of his upcoming Bar Mitzvah. Since he began baking, he’s gotten so good at it (not great at the clean-up part, but what can I do?) that he claims his challahs are better than mine (and I bake professionally!) He’s begun adding flavors to his challahs, and now his rosemary/garlic/olive oil challahs are the local rage. Since he only makes 22, he turns many people away and people call early on in the week to make sure to place their orders. The thing about making challah well is knowing that although dough is rather forgiving - too sticky just add flour, too dry add liquid - is that you have to develop a feel for it in your hands. You can judge a good dough by its elasticity, its weight and its soft and slight stickiness. As my grandmother used to say, the dough, when risen should be as soft and puffy as a newborn baby’s bum (she said it in Yiddish, so it was pretty funny) Teach your kids to make challah - it impresses most adults and children alike when a young child is able to pull it off well and it gives the kid a kind of confidence they won’t get anywhere else.
Deb you were reading my mind!
I actually searched for Jewish recipes on here 2 days ago! (after seeing the honey cake recipe and figuring you must too be a nice jewish girl)
Definitely making the honey cake and the round challah for the holiday!
My first job when I was 15 was at this cute little bread store and I loved their Challah bread! I almost forgot about it until seeing this post and I’m so excited that I may even try and make it on my own. Yours looks beautiful, by the way!
My husband’s Jewish and so I’ve been introduced to some very delicious cuisine, challah included. He’s away for now, but he made sure to start a “recipe box” on Williams Sonoma and urged me to look at his recipes. Once I saw challah was one of them, I immediately wanted to learn (never made bread before…eeeek!) My mouth is watering just reading your description of the smells and tastes. Thanks for the recipe!
Hello
First comment ever but I’m halfway through making this. Just doing the last rise. Horribly, your front page has just presented me with a “Get a flat stomach” ad. Woe is me. The opposite will surely happen. Anyway I love this love this love this. xox
Hi Deb! This looks amazing. I just made your cream cheese kugel for monday and i absolutely can’t wait to try it.
Yo Deb, my challah is in the oven as I type. That photo drew me in–I think I’ve eaten challah about once in my life. Tomorrow morning’s french toast is gonna go great with the breakfast sausage I just bought!
Oh, and my braid is less than half the length of yours–I only had three or four repeats. I made one loaf after halving the recipe and was sure your photo of the full unbaked braid was one entire recipe! I wonder how that happened…did you stretch the strands a lot while braiding?
I am so amazed!! I find such inspiration in your blogg. What photoes!
What text! What food! I am so, so pleased that I have found your blogg. First class! And first time I have made food after a blog recipe. Who would have thought that Manhatten recipies would touch a woman i Norway. I love it!
Mmmmmmm…challah. It truly is the king of breads! I used to bake a loaf every Friday when I was still living with my parents. It’s remarkably easy and non-intimidating.
And speaking of kugel, which is to my mind the ultimate comfort food: I make my grandma’s recipe which has brought tears to the eyes of members of the Tribe and goyim alike. I’d be happy to share it with you–I’ve never had better!
I’ve never made bread before, but I’ve loved challah ever since I was little.
My family has never celebrated Shabbat, so I only got to eat challah at temple.
I’m definitely trying this as soon as I can!
Challah has been one of my favorites ever since pastry school…this one looks GREAT!
“Hello gorgeous”.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with such clear instructions. I’d love more Jewish recipes, Russian recipes (Russian Jewish?). You mentioned there was a time when you concentrated on Indian recipes. I’d love to have some of your favorite Indian recipes, too. Thanks Deb and Happy 5770 (?) New Year!
p.s. As wonderful as Challah is for French toast, I live in San Francisco and I love making it with a good French boule like Boudin’s one pound size. The crust will be chewy but that’s OK with me.
I’ve been making bread every Tuesday for the past few weeks (It’s my day off)… I can’t wait to start on this one! …and then I’ll probably leave it out to get stale so I can eat the entire loaf as french bread :)
Wow that was good. My 3 year old son made it with my husband and had a ball doing the kneading and plaiting. Only thing was it sunk after the 3rd rising, so although it tasted yummy, it was a bit flat! Never mind. We ate it as french toast this morning - what a great idea! I caramelised some slightly under-ripe nectarines as well, and put madagascan vanilla in the egg mixture, along with cinnamon sugar. We ate the whole lot with Vermont maple syrup, hoarded from our visit 2 years ago. Really very scrumptious! The slightly tart nectarine was gooey on the edges with dark muscovado sugar, and contrasted really well with the sweetness of the maple syrup and the savoury egg. My kids (3 & 14months) have just sat there in total silence for 30 minutes (gotta be a record!) and wolfed the whole lot down!
Now then, why did it sink? Any ideas?
Hi Jen — Sometimes if breads over-proof, they will sink. After that, the reasons that breads can sink are (almost) endless, and your guess is as good as mine: There could be too much yeast or sugar, too much water, not enough salt, the yeast could be old, the yeast could be freakishly hyperactive or the flour could be past its prime.
You mentioned that you don’t have a brisket recipe in your archives. Please add one! The only brisket I’ve made has been the one from Epicurious/ Bon Appetite “Brisket with Portabello Mushrooms and Dried Cranberries”..which is SO outstanding it keeps me from trying others. I hope you try it, if you haven’t already.
thank you so much! i was just looking the other day for a challah bread recipe for my half jewish boy :D
Marie, 5769.
Debra,
Your challah came out GORGEOUS!
That is one thing I don’t enjoy doing…..baking bread.
We have too many good bakeries in NYC and NJ, so I let them do the job!
L’Shana Tovah.
Stacey Snacks
Can you add the recipe for Easter challah that you were talking about at the BDL? The pancetta-stuffed one. And can I use sour cream instead of creme fraiche in the dipping sauce?
OK, I know this is likely a stupid question, but I am making this bread for a Jewish friend for the holiday. I have already made the dough, and came across this website for the braiding directions, but my recipe uses milk and butter. Does this violate dietary restrictions and do I need to bake a new one?
Dee, if your friend keeps a Kosher home, then yes, this will probably present a problem for her. If she doesn’t, you might want to ask if she minds a dairy Challah for her Rosh Hashona meal. For many people it doesn’t matter, but for others it does. The best way not to make a mistake is to ask! Nobody will be insulted if you ask. In fact, they’ll be thrilled with how respectful you are!
Awesome bread! I’d never made challah before and rarely even bake bread, but this just came out of my oven … and it’s beautiful and wonderful. Everyone who loves good bread should try this. I can’t wait to figure out how to use up the rest of the loaf.
Thanks, Deb!
This looks great. I will have to give it a try. If there is any left, I am sure it will make liller french toast.
ps. I have a to die for brisket recipe!
Oh man, Deb, this stuff is AMAZING. I utterly failed at wheat bread a week or so ago but this was flawless. Easy recipe and it rose perfectly (I did mine in a warm oven). It tastes fantastic, even though I ate it with sausage :P I also made your carmelized shallots, and spinach, for a really delicious, smitten kitchen-ified dinner! http://flickr.com/photos/girlandetc/2897280680/in/photostream/ Thanks for yet another awesome recipe. :)
I wanted to mention that if you taper both ends of your strands, you’ll end up with a loaf that is pointy on the ends and bulges in the middle (more like how you see it in bakeries). :D
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the topic index! I love it. It is so handy and I love the organization!
Simply beautiful…
Hi Deb,
I haven’t made Challah since I was a Bat Mitzvah (required learning at my shul growing up)…maybe I’ll try again this year!
When I learned, I did a two layer, seven strand braid. First, a four layer braid (instructions http://www.virtue.to/articles/braiding.html), and then place a three strand braid over it. My instructor explained it was for all the symbolism associated with the number seven, esp. for normal shabbat…
My hero!!I’ve trimmed down my list of must read blogs,but,you have so many things I want to make that your a keeper. I just made the apple pizza it was soooo good.I kept it for the family and promised everyone at work they could have some the next time.( yeah,right) Challah is on the list.
any chance you’ll do a test run of the 2 NYT challah recipes from this weekend (though I don’t think making one loaf from 9 cups of flour is ever a good idea).
Just a quick question Deb, can I do some of these steps and keep the dough in the fridge over night?
P.S. I youtubed you on Martha, I loved it, I also felt like I knew you (creepy, I know).
Thanks, Shana Tovah.
Our local bakery has great challah, but it’s quite pricey. And I’m a fan of using it for bread pudding and of course French toast which you already said. Now I can try to make my own which I never thought I could. Your recipes make me really happy.
Alphie — Great timing, huh? As much as both recipes looked delicious, they seemed so untraditional–especially the more modern one. I’m always looking for the best version of the classic I can find, which in this case, is the one above. [Also, I suspect if I blogged it, I'd get 150 comments telling me that it is wrong because challah needs to be paerve (though we're not Kosher), but that's neither here nor there.] Perhaps one day, though…
Rebecca — I note at the end of the recipe that any of the risings can be done in the fridge for a bunch of hours. But I am not entirely sure about overnight as I have not tested it. If you’d like to do that, you might consider reducing the yeast by one-third to give yourself insurance in case 8 or more hours is too much.
I always have the feeling with the recipe redux column that they take a good, reasonable recipe and turn it into an avant garde difficult recipe that no one will ever have time for (I also note that while a dairy challah is delicious and would work with dairy meals even for kosher folks - it does seem weird to write an article on challah and never explain why they aren’t traditionally dairy). I have my standard go-to challah, but am definitely going to try yours this weekend and try to master braiding (I always just do 3 strands.)
I made the honey cake last night with apples - looks wonderful and was a snap to make (and made so much that I have lots to give away).
I made your challah this weekend for a dinner party, and it was a hit! I pretty much just ate this bread for every meal this weekend. Thanks for such a great recipe! Your recipes are always so well written, I almost never screw them up. I’m pretty new at cooking, so that is a high compliment for you considering how many other recipes I do mess up. :-) Have a good week!
I’ve been reading your website for several months now - this and the honey cake are the first things I’ve actually made from it. BEST. CHALLAH. RECIPE. EVER. I was so pumped that mine looked just like your in the braiding stage (well - less complicated braid - but the dough looked the same.) Thanks! And my extended family will thank you when they get theirs tonight! The honey cake? So moist and delicious. And smells fab to boot! And yes - I’m giving away tons at the office - so it smells heavenly today too.
Thanks Deb. I’ll be trying a TON more of your recipes now!
This is one recipe I will NOT be attempting…I’ve tried - many times before - and all I have to show for it is a shallacked loaf of bread that used to be a door stop before I realized how ridiculous it looked! I’ll take your word for it - I’m sure it’s wonderful but I’m not able to bake bread…maybe in my next life! I found something in my travels that reminded me of you and your blog…I’d love to send it to you?!? Please send me your address and I’ll get it in the mail asap - I think you’ll love it! At least I hope so! You can think of it as a thank you for all of the great meals you’ve given me and the mister!
I’m not a Jew, but I am a New Yorker and therefore am lucky enough partake in all kinds of tasty treats from other cultures. I remember about five years ago taking my Pennsylvania-Dutch-born boyfriend (now husband) to EJ’s on the UWS where he decided to order the challah toast with his breakfast and pronounced it just like it’s spelled. I don’t know who laughed harder, me or the waitress. Now that’s he’s officially a New Yorker himself, I think I might bake him a loaf of this bread just to remind him how far he’s come.
A note to Hilary - those braided loaves you may have seen with Easter eggs tucked into them are most likely not challah, but a traditional Greek Easter bread, baked with hard boiled eggs (usually dyed red for symbolism) tucked into the braids and topped with sesame seeds.
I can’t tell you how great that looks! I wish I made bread more often! Your dough looks so perfect and the finished product, MMM i can almost smell the freshness!
This IS a fantastic recipe. I made 2 nearly perfect loaved this weekend. Sooo good, and did french toast Sunday brunch.
very very funny and very delicious looking..happy new year then!
Debra,
My goyisha husband, who is Italian, LOVES kreplach.
There is no where in NJ to get them for him, so when we go to Queens, NY, he orders them in the deli.
I thought of making sausage and peppers tonight for Rosh Hashanah for my non Jewish guests. Now that would be a SHONDA for the goyim (& they would’ve loved it!!!).
Stacey Snacks
I fancy myself an accomplished little challah-baker, so it’s hard for me not to take the title “best challah” as a challenge. But, I think there’s enough room in this world for two best challah bakers. I’m probably way too proud of my 6 piece braid, but I find that the secret to success when figuring out braiding is to constantly repeat the mantra “inside/outside, outside/middle” and never drop both braids at the same time. It helps to practice with shoe strings too!
You have convinced me to try my hand at baking bread! Thanks for all fo the great tips and tricks :-)
I think Challah bread makes some of the best French toast! Lovely loaves you’ve made!
Yum! This is the same recipe my mother always makes.
Would love to hang out in your apartment (to be swallowed by the aroma of this deliciousness)…just found your blog - truly excellent!
–Marc
I looks like the hair of Rapunsel.:) Whoa!
I’m making it! I’m very excited. My braid is in the freezer and I’m waiting till tomorrow to bake. I added one scraped vanilla bean and some honey to make it even sweeter. It looks gorgeous flecked with the vanilla beans. Can’t wait to see how it comes out!
Oh man, gimme that loaf of bread, some cheese and a good bottle of chablis. Yummy! It does look like it has pretty good instructions.
I just tried making fried chicken for the first time tonight. hehehe I just HAD to blog bout it. :) hehe And OMG is fried chicken soooo much better when you make it yourself at home. :) My son was so excited when I showed it to him. It was worth making it completely.
I bet he would love this too. I’m going to have to try this especially the braiding part. I love doing that kinda stuff.
Shanah Tovah Deb and Alex!
Lovely blog and beautiful pics!…just found it,
Susannah x
The challah is awesome. Any chance of sharing your mother’s apple cake recipe?
what a great looking bread!!! thanks for sharing… :)
That is the most beautiful loaf of Challah I have ever seen. Wow!
Can I say your Challah looks better than the Challah that was in the NY Times this weekend? Oh lord, if only I lived next door to you.
I made 1/2 recipe of the challah and it was wonderful and looked as if it came from a bakery. Yeast baking is my favourite. After the second rise, I made my 2 braids, covered with plastic wrap and chilled for a couple of hours. They did not rise at that time. I egg washed them after chilling and put into a warm over to rise. They were beautiful.
how long will it keep uncut before it goes stale? what’s the best way to store it if you want to make it ahead of time (Frozen baked, frozen pre-baked)? Thanks!
Thanks for the lovely photo and inspiration. I made challah on Friday, two loaves. We destroyed 1/3 of the first loaf immediately. Ate some more with dinner. The next day we put the bread knife away and just pulled sections off and stuffed them into our happy mouths. I gave a half loaf to our 90-year-old neighbor. This morning I made French toast with it and served it with homemade plum jam. So much enjoyment for such little effort. Bread baking is just the best!
I stumbled upon your blog looking for a babka recipe (which was delicious), and love the rest of it as well. There are so many delicious challah recipes out there, and Joan Nathan is always a solid bet. If you’re interested in whole-wheat challah, I’ve developed this recipe over the years and find it works quite well: http://2hippos.blogspot.com/2008/09/detour-whole-wheat-challah.html
we aren’t Jewish (I’m a pentacostal pastors kid!!) but we love and pray daily for Isreal, so in our home we celebrate our versions of the feasts and holidays … Challah bread is why my kids want to convert! but until now I don’t think we’ve had the GOOD stuff!! thank you! thank you! thank you! now if you can help me with these potato/plum dumplings I’d name my next baby after you!
Oh, Deb! I love challah bread………..and adore using the stale leftovers (if ever there are any) for delightful French toast! Thanks for this recipe!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for inspiring me to make this recipe! It was the most anticipated dish of our Rosh Hashana meal and easier than I thought it would be to make!
Such a gorgeous challah! I love your braiding. Fresh challah on Friday nights or any holiday meal is the best. We had an amazing round challah on Rosh Hashanah!
Have you seen the challah recipe redux in the NY Times? Butter is used! Now THATS a shonda!
I was using the Martha Stewart challah recipe (which I love), but of course I lost it - thanks for coming to the rescue! This one is perfect. I had it with homemade veg soup on a blustery Seattle weekend. YUM.
For years the only challah recipe I’ve used is my grandmother’s. . . so I decided to give yours a shot over the weekend. I halved the recipe because I like to do the first knead in my bread machine. When the bread machine finished doing its thing after 1 1/2 hours, I noticed that the color of the dough was funny. . . turns out that I used King Arthur’s white whole wheat flour instead of regular white flour. It wasn’t challah exactly, but it was delicious.
My kids and I made Challah last week on a day off from school. My 7 year old carefully read the directions and did her own braid! And this recipe is quick too…I don’t think it took any more time to form than a pan of rolls would take, and this looks SOOOO impressive!
“Smitten Kitchen” is becoming synonymous with”yummy treats” at our house, although I have to admit that I haven’t tried any of your vegetable recipes yet. But oh, that dimply plum (or apple or blueberry or plain) cake!
DELICIOUS…the first bread I’ve made in 40 years and the first time I’ve braided. Your instructions for braiding were great (the first loaf was a trial loaf and I got the hang of it on the second loaf. Both looked good but one more professional than the other). The family was amazed to see me being such a bulabusta since I normally don’t do the household cooking. This was easy to make and well worth the time. I’m hooked - I will definitely make this frequently. I have never found a good store-bought challah here in the Seattle area and now I don’t have to look any further. I’ll make it. Your apple cake was also to die for. Now I can’t wait to try your honey and chocolate peanutbutter cake. Hmmm, I wonder how many Weight Watcher points for that piece of apple cake I had tonight:).
I halved the recipe, and it worked perfectly. As I said in a previous post, I let my bread machine do the first knead and rise for me. My hands are slightly arthritic, so this is a compromise that allows me to punch down and knead for the second rising, and still be “hands on.”
How do you keep your braids from splitting when baking? No matter how much the bread rises before going into the oven, and no matter how much egg wash I use,no matter how tightly I braid, the loaf spreads out and there’s spaces between the braids with no hard crust.
BTW, I always thought my grandmother’s recipe was the “best,” but I have to admit that yours is better!
I made the recipe and the bread look amazing! But it had a slightly heavy taste and was not fluffy like the Challah from the bakery. Anyone know why this happened?
I have always been terrified of making bread, but I made this and it was amazing and this morning I made french toast with it and THAT was amazing too. I went for the sesame seeds + raisins option — so so good! The sesame seeds got all toasted in the oven. :)
But I only used 6 cups of flour. Seemed odd that it would be so far off what you said it would be, but that’s when the dough held together and started whispering “please knead me!”, so I did and it all worked out.
Try bread and butter pudding with leftover challah… soooo good.
Deb, I LOVE your blog, and your recipes and read it everyday (RSS). In fact today I’m making the challah. I have to say I’m disappointed in the Yes on PRop 8 advertisement on your website. This is a hugely detrimental proposition that limits basic rights and equalities. http://www.noonprop8.com
no on 8 in california
Hey there — I’m sorry. We had seen that ad slip through–which is not only completely inappropriate for this site’s content, but in no way represents our views–and blocked it. We will leave (another) complaint with GoogleAds, as this should not be showing up.
I have the same problem with my braids spliting as verbal_one. Either my braids flatten with no definition or they have some definition but have the splits with spaces between the braids without the crust. Can you help me?
I’ve been wondering why people leave so many comments for you but now I know! I have been baking in preparation for some friends coming this weekend and made this challah bread as a trial run today (froze one loaf). It was absolutely delicious. I’ve never even had challah before but the recipe and your instructions were good enough that I had no trouble. I have some World Peace cookie dough in the freezer as well as a pie crust that I can’t wait to bake. Great site. Thanks for the recipes.