Challah bread is a white, leavened, braided bread with Ashkenazi Jewish origins. It’s typically made with eggs, yeast, flour, honey (or sugar), and salt. Challah is a staple of every Jewish table on the sabbath — Friday evening to Saturday evening — and many Jewish holidays like Hanukkah and Yom Kippur (it’s often the first food eaten to break the fast). Challah bread is also part of many important Jewish rituals, from weddings to funerals and nearly every occasion in between. The way the challah is braided or shaped also has its own meaning in Judaism. A three-stand brand symbolizes truth, peace, and justice. A braid with twelve “humps” represents the twelve tribes of Israel. Round or spiral-shaped challahs are eaten during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, as a symbol of the cycle of the seasons.
Challah Bread
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How to Make Challah
- Activate the yeast.
- Make the dough.
- Turn out and knead the dough.
- Let the dough rise.
- Roll and braid the dough according to the below directions.
- Let the dough rise again.
- Add an egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
- Bake the challah bread until golden brown.
How to Braid Challah
- Once your dough has risen, divide into three equal pieces and gently roll into 11/2-inch-thick ropes with the palms of your hands (the ropes should be about the same length). Pinch the ropes together at one end and braid fairly tightly. Pinch the opposite ends together. Tuck the ends underneath the loaf.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- ½ cup honey
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 eggs, divided
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 8 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds (Optional)
Directions
- Gather all ingredients.
- Pour warm water into a large bowl; sprinkle yeast over water. Let stand until yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
- Beat in honey, oil, 2 eggs, and salt. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, beating after each addition until dough has pulled together.
- Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
- Place dough in a large, lightly-oiled bowl and turn to coat.
- Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 ½ hours.
- Punch down dough and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half and knead each half for 5 minutes or so, adding flour as needed to keep it from getting sticky.
- Divide each half into thirds and roll into a long snake about 1 ½ inches in diameter.
- Pinch the ends of the three snakes together firmly and braid from middle. Either leave as a braid or form into a round braided loaf by bringing ends together, curving the braid into a circle, and pinching ends together.
- Grease two baking trays and place the finished braid or round on each. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Beat the remaining egg and brush a generous amount over each braid; sprinkle with poppy seeds.
- Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least one hour before slicing.
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