It’s an easy bread to make, and I love this recipe so much that I don’t think I’ll ever try another Challah bread recipe ever again. This one is the best I’ve ever tried! 
Challah Bread (Recipe Source: CardaMom at recipezaar.com)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tsp. yeast
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 4 tbsp. sugar
- water
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- Optional: sesame seeds or poppy seeds
Instructions for making the dough:
- Mix 1 tsp. sugar, 3 tsp. yeast, and 1/2 warm water in a small bowl or coffee cup, setting it aside a few minutes to get foamy and rise up.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, 4 tbsp. sugar, and 1 tsp. salt.
- Beat 2 eggs in a small mixing bowl.
- After the yeast mixture has gotten foamy and risen up, you need to add it to the flour mixture.
- Now add the 2 eggs, oil, and about 3/4 cup warm water to the flour and yeast.
- Mix all the ingredients together with your hands (or a spoon if you prefer).
- You may need to add more water. You want your dough to be sticky enough so all the flour sticks together. If it’s too dry, add more water. Don’t worry if you add too much water and the dough is too sticky. If that happens, just add a little more flour until you get the right consistency.
- Now you want to put some flour on your counter top and hands and knead the dough for about 5-8 minutes. If you’ve never kneaded dough before, basically all you do is press the dough down with the heel of your hand so you stretch the dough. I call it touching and playing with the dough. As long as you’re pressing it down and working the dough, that’s fine.
- Put some oil in a large, clean mixing bowl.
- Shape your dough into a ball and put it in the oiled bowl, and then put a little oil on the outside of your dough. The consistency of your dough should look something like this.
Note: Before I tell you the next step, you need to decide if you will be home for about 3 – 5 hours to leave the bread out and let it rise. If you’re going to be home and awake, you will let the dough rise at room temperature. If you’re getting ready to go to bed or you need to go to work, you can let the dough rise slower in the refrigerator.
Instructions for letting the dough rise at room temperature (requires about 3-5 hours)
- Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and then put a towel or two over the bag. This will keep the dough warm which is what you want.
- Set the bowl in a warm place in your house and leave it there until the dough rises up and doubles in size/bulk.
- After the dough has doubled in size, put some flour on your counter top, and then place your dough on the counter.
- Punch down the dough. Knead the dough for about 1 minute.
- Put the dough back in the oiled bowl it was in before, and spread a little oil on it.
- Cover the dough again with the plastic bag and towels, and put the bowl back in a warm place and let it rise up again until it doubles in size/bulk.
- When your dough has doubled in size and risen up for the second time, take it out of the bowl again and put it on a floured counter.
- Punch the dough down and knead it for 1 more minute.
- Now you want to divide your dough into 3 equal parts.
- Roll out each piece into long strands. You can do it by hand or with a roller. I do it by hand.
- Now you want to get your baking sheet (I use a 9 1/2″ by 13″) and put a little oil on it.
- Take your three strands of dough and place them on the baking sheet with a little bit of space in between them.
- Braid the three strands the same way you would braid hair. I will try to take step-by-step pictures next time I make it, but for now, I will direct you to pinchmysalt.com where you can see step-by-step instructions on how to braid bread.
- Okay, now that your bread has been braided, you want to let it rest and rise up again until it’s doubled in bulk.
- What I do next is preheat my oven to 400 degrees, and then I place my bread (uncovered) on top of the stove.
- Optional Step: If you’re in a hurry, instead of preheating your oven to 400 degrees, put your oven on warm and then put your bread (uncovered) in the oven. The warm heat will make it rise up very fast. Just make sure you don’t put your oven on a hotter temperature if you do it this way. Make sure it’s set no hotter than warm. After it rises up, take it out of the oven and then preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then you can brush it with egg yolk before baking (see the step below).
- If you’re not in a hurry and you want to let the braided bread rise up on top of the stove, that’s fine. When the braided bread rises, you are ready to brush it with egg.
- Now you want to take one egg yolk and add a spoon or two of water to it.
- Beat the egg yolk and water.
- Now, take a brush and brush the egg yolk and water all over the outside of the dough. If you don’t have a brush, just use your hands.
- Optional Step: At this point, you can sprinkle some sesame seeds or poppy seeds on egg-covered dough.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. The egg on the outside of the bread will become golden brown. Sometimes at 20 minutes, I decrease the heat to 350 degrees and bake 10 more minutes on that temperature.
- You will know the bread is done when you poke it with a toothpick and it comes out clean.
Instructions for letting the dough rise in the refrigerator (It requires about 8 to 12 hours for the dough to rise the first time. I use this slow-rise method in the cold air a lot on work days when I don’t have time to be home for 3 separate rises. I also use this method if I make bread at night.)
- Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and then put a towel or two over the bag.
- Put the covered bowl in the refrigerator. It will rise up and double in bulk, but it will take about 8-12 hours to do so.
- After the dough has had time to rise and double in bulk, take it out of the refrigerator and place your dough on a floured counter top.
- Punch down the dough. Knead the dough for about 1 minute.
- Put the dough back in the oiled bowl it was in before, and spread a little oil on it.
- Cover the bowl again with the plastic bag and towels. At this point, you can put it back in the refrigerator to rise a second time or you can put the bowl outside and let it rise at room temperature. It all depends on what your schedule is. If you’re not going to be at home, let it rise again in the refrigerator. If you will be at home for the next few hours, let it rise at room temperature.
- When your dough has doubled in size and risen up for the second time, take it out of the bowl again and put it on a floured counter.
- Punch the dough down and knead it for 1 more minute.
- Now you want to divide your dough into 3 equal parts.
- Roll out each piece into long strands. You can do it by hand or with a roller. I do it by hand.
- Now you want to get your baking sheet (I use a 9 1/2″ by 13″) and put a little oil on it.
- Take your three strands of dough and place them on the baking sheet with a little bit of space in between them.
- Braid the three strands the same way you would braid hair. I will try to take step-by-step pictures next time I make it, but for now, I will direct you to pinchmysalt.com where you can see step-by-step instructions on how to braid bread.
- Okay, now that your bread has been braided, you want to let it rest and rise up again until it’s doubled in bulk.
- What I do next is preheat my oven to 400 degrees, and then I place my bread (uncovered) on top of the stove.
- Optional Step: If you’re in a hurry, instead of preheating your oven to 400 degrees, put your oven on warm and then put your bread (uncovered) in the oven. The warm heat will make it rise up very fast. Just make sure you don’t put your oven on a hotter temperature if you do it this way. Make sure it’s set no hotter than warm. After it rises up, take it out of the oven and then preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then you can brush it with egg yolk before baking (see the step below).
- If you’re not in a hurry and you want to let the braided bread rise up on top of the stove, that’s fine. When the braided bread rises, you are ready to brush it with egg.
- Now you want to take one egg yolk and add a spoon or two of water to it.
- Beat the egg yolk and water.
- Now, take a brush and brush the egg yolk and water all over the outside of the dough. If you don’t have a brush, just use your hands.
- Optional Step: At this point, you can sprinkle some sesame seeds or poppy seeds on egg-covered dough.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes. The egg on the outside of the bread will become golden brown. Sometimes at 20 minutes, I decrease the heat to 350 degrees and bake 10 more minutes on that temperature.
- You will know the bread is done when you poke it with a toothpick and it comes out clean.
