Here is my now-famous traditional challah recipe, scroll down for the full recipe, but first let me answer a few questions I am frequently asked.
What is challah?
Challah is the Jewish egg bread served every week on Shabbat and is usually braided. You don’t have to top it, but I love it with everything bagel topping and I have a heavy hand. I make this recipe every week and I get so much satisfaction out of the kneading and braiding it is the one dish I don’t mind spending time on. And don’t forget to get the kids involved. Not only are they in my prayers, but they each get their own little mound of dough to shape and decorate as they like. I like everything spice, they like sprinkles, we are all happy. Enjoy this challah bread recipe this Shabbat and for many years to come.
What makes challah bread different?
Challah baking is part magic, part science and 100% spiritual. It’s not simply an egg bread that is made dairy-free with oil instead of butter. Challah touches the soul. Challah is one of those foods that is a spiritual key, placing it front and center at the start of all our Shabbos and holiday meals. We eat challah every Shabbos as an allusion to the manna that G-d showered on the Israelites in the desert after they left Egypt. The manna would fall every day, but it was just enough for one day. The Israelites had to learn to trust in G-d for their daily sustenance and not worry about tomorrow. That’s a pretty good lesson in itself. But the kicker is that every Friday a double amount would fall, so there would be enough to eat on Shabbos morning. We put two challahs on the Shabbos table, as a reminder of the Friday double portion of manna. Every week, we enjoy our challah. At the same time, we deepen our faith in G-d, who loves us so much that He provides us with everything we need day after day, from paying the mortgage down to my daughters’ Hello Kitty alarm clock. We reaffirm our allegiance to Shabbos, a day so special that we don’t cook or bake; we just eat delicacies we prepared on Friday.
Bread is for the body, but challah, challah touches the soul.
Can you eat challah bread anytime?
While challah is on the table for every Shabbat and holiday meal, it can be eaten any other time as well.
Why is challah bread so special?
There’s a reason challah pays spiritual dividends, but to understand it we have to visit ancient Israel for a minute. (Don’t worry. I’ll bring you back.) Back in the days of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, people called Kohanim (a huge extended family, really) did not own farmland because their sole task was to serve in the Temple and teach the holy Torah to every Jew. The mitzvah (law) of giving them tithes and food gifts was mandated so they could devote themselves exclusively to this calling.
One of those gifts was called “challah,” which meant that whenever someone baked bread, he or she was to give a small portion of it to a friendly local Kohein. And the baker did not just drop a package on the doorstep and run. He would learn some Torah with the Kohein, maybe have a cup of tea and schmooze a while. This exchange not only fed the Kohanim and their families; it fortified the bond between average Israelites and their spiritual mentors.
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It was a great system.
Today there’s no Holy Temple, but we still keep the mitzvah, called hafrashat challah, to elevate that simple act of baking bread to a spiritual activity.
How do you make challah bread?
Watch me make this challah dough in the video above and then learn to shape so many different ways with our Challah Shaping and Braiding Videos.
If you want to try the easiest challah ever, check out my No Knead Challah recipe here.
Looking for a healthier, 100% whole grain challah with all natural sweeteners? Get our Spelt Challah Recipe.
A few more things to consider before we get to the actual recipe.
The Flour: I always use flour that is high in gluten because gluten adds stickiness and sponginess to the dough. High-gluten flour will give you a nice chewy texture. Bread flour or bread machine flour are interchangeable with high-gluten flour. All-purpose flour can be subbed if necessary. This recipe calls for a 6-pound bag of high-gluten (bread) flour. But fear not if you can’t find a 6-pound bag: 3¼ cups of high-gluten flour equals 1 pound, and 3¾cups of all-purpose flour is equivalent to 1 pound.
You can find oval baking pans on Amazon to help keep the classic braided challah shape.
.
Jamie Geller’s Challah Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 ounces ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons active dry yeast (57 grams) + 3 tablespoons sugar (40 grams)
- 6 cups warm water divided (1,440 grams)
- 4 tablespoons kosher salt 72 grams
- 1 6-pound bag high-gluten flour (2.7 kg)
- 2 cups sugar 400 grams
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 ¼ cup canola oil divided (260 grams)
- 2 whole eggs lightly beaten
- ½ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup poppy seeds
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and 3 tablespoons of sugar in 2 cups of warm water, cover loosely with a towel and set aside.
- Place salt in a huge plastic bowl.
- Add flour to bowl.
- Add sugar and egg yolks.
- Yeast should now have bubbled/foamed and doubled in size, if yeast has not bubbled or does not seem active repeat the process again.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and slowly pour yeast and sugar water mixture into the well. Then add the remaining 4 cups of warm water into the well. Make sure the water is not too hot. It should be no warmer than you would use for a baby’s bath.
- Start kneading ingredients together and add a ½ cup of oil.
- For the next 10 minutes, knead, adding another ½ cup of oil slowly during that time as needed to create a workable dough. Dough shouldn’t be too sticky and also should not be dry. It should become one cohesive mass.
- Loosely cover dough with a large kitchen towel and place in a warm spot in your kitchen for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, lightly oil your hand and knead again for another 5 minutes adding a touch more oil to the dough if necessary. The dough should now be easier to work with and will become smooth and satiny.
- Rub a little oil over the top and around the dough. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel. Place covered bowl in a medium plastic garbage bag and place open ends of the bag loosely underneath the bowl, trapping in air.
- Place in a warm spot and let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Punch dough down and knead (lightly oil your hands if necessary), flipping it and releasing any air bubbles. Cover again, using the towel and the bag, and let rise 1 more hour.
- Lightly oil your hands, and punch down again. With a sharp knife divide dough into 4 equal parts.
- Liberally spray 4 (9-inch) round baking pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
For Round Challah
- With lightly oiled hands, place 1 piece of dough on a smooth work surface. Play with the dough a bit, squeezing out any air bubbles. Then roll the dough into a long, thick rope, adding oil as needed to keep it from being too sticky. Don’t use too much oil; a little sticky is fine.
- Place one end of the rope up against the edge of the prepared pan and coil it, ending in the middle. Set aside.
For Pull-Apart Challah
- With lightly oiled hands, place 1 piece of dough on a smooth work surface. Play with the dough a bit, squeezing out any air bubbles. Separate into 8 equal parts. Roll each part into a round ball, adding oil as needed to keep it from being too sticky. Don’t use too much oil; a little sticky is fine.
- Place one ball in the middle of the prepared pan and surround with remaining balls. Don’t worry if they don’t touch. They will rise into each other while baking. Set aside.
- Repeat either method with remaining dough so that you have 4 challahs.
- Brush challahs with beaten egg and sprinkle with a combination of poppy and sesame seeds.
- Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes and then lower your oven temperature to 350 F and bake for an additional 35 to 45 minutes, until challah tops are dark golden brown.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve while still warm. Once the challah has been sliced, you can store the slices in sealable plastic bags for about 4 to 5 days.
- Recipe Courtesy of JOY of KOSHER Fast, Fresh Family Recipes by Jamie Geller (William Morrow/HarperCollins 2013) – BUY NOW
Notes:
- Make half the recipe as follows:
- ¾ ounce (21 g) active dry yeast
- 8 ounces (227 g) (or up to 10 ounces for sweeter challah) plus ½ ounce granulated sugar, divided
- 3 cups (708 g) warm water (90° to 100°F), divided
- 1-ounce (28 g) kosher salt
- 3 pounds (1,360 g)high-gluten (bread) or all-purpose four
- 2 large eggs, separated
- ½ cup (120 g) olive oil, more as needed for kneading and shaping
Substitutions
- Flour
- Spelt Flour: Step 2: Add 2 ¼ cups of water.
- 100% Whole Wheat Flour: Step 2: Add 2 ½ cups of water.
- Egg-Free
- Simply eliminate the egg yolks from the recipe and brush or spray the challah with water in place of egg wash for egg free challah. No other adjustments required.
- Sweeteners
- Less Sugar: Decrease the sugar to 4 ounces with no other adjustments required.
- Brown Sugar: Substitute brown sugar, for the granulated sugar in equal parts with no other adjustments required.
- Honey/Syrup: Substitute silan/date honey, bee’s honey or maple syrup in part or in place of sugar. Reduce water by the amount of “liquid” (moisture rich) sweetener you are using. For example, if using ½ cup honey decrease water by ½ cup.
- Yeast
- ¾ oz dry yeast = 2 oz fresh yeast
Hi Jon, in theory it should work – but I have the same reservations as you so I have never done it. Instead what I do, if I want a smaller batch, is just before braiding I separate the dough into two (or four sections), punch it down and then wrap it tightly in saran wrap and then freeze it for later use (garlic knots https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/jumbo-garlic-knots/, cinnamon buns https://jamiegeller.com/recipes/challah-dough-cinnamon-buns-2/, more challah :-). Let us know how you like the recipe.
Jon see below re: halving the recipe – can be done successfully!
Hi Jamie,
Your challah looks amazing!! I was hoping to make a smaller batch (but i know how fickle bread can be) do you know if its ok to cut the recipe in half??
Chag sameach!
Hi Jamie,
I love your recipes and videos. I like the way you describe dry ingredients by weight rather than cups. It omes accurate this way.
wow thank you!!!! so great to feel the love from so far!
Oh my goodness! This challah is AMAZING! I just made a batch for Shabbat and used a 1/4 dough for cinnamon buns – they were to die for!!! Thank you so so much for your recipe’s and video’s! I’m showing my Rebbetzin after Pesach how to make this! lots of love, from your fan in Australia
HI
How many packets of yeast is 2 ounces?
Also was wondering how long i should knead the dough for so it will be light and fluffy…
thanks
Hi – this is a large recipe for me, and I alsoneed to “translate” it to Israeli equivalents. Could you please post an equivalent version for someone starting with 1Kilo of flour? (I usually use the Rubinfeld fine ground whole wheat flour, which is about 6.5 cups / kilo, more or less, in case that’s helpful.) Can you give the yeast amount in teaspoons or tablespoons of dry yeast? THANK YOU!!
Elisheva! thank you SO SO SO SO SO much. It means so much to me that you took the time to write and that your special Shabbos Challah came out AMAZING! big hugs, J
Dear Jamie!
You’re such an inspiration. I just love watching your instructional videos. You make food so much fun. Thank you for that. I just made your challah. It was AMAZING!! Simply the best. I also make the garlic knots and cinnamon buns. YUM. All the best and looking forward to more great recipes.
Elisheva
a few things are possible here — 1. over kneading/working the dough and or 2. rising in a warm place in your kitchen — I keep mine over the dishwasher or in a dark corner by the oven — it should have lots of air bubbles – should be fluffy and light but again the warmth is important for this (did you keep it covered with a towel and in a large loose bag (dark, cozy and warm) for it to rise?
yes you can maybe be slightly less fluffy/spongy BUT I made it in Israel using whatever general flour was avail and it came out fantastic still everyone loved it!
tastes like white bread to me…..http://allrecipes.com/recipe/traditional-white-bread/ almost the same ratios, i guess this is sweeter, but prob mass produced white bread is equally as sweet as this dough….. hmmmm… still on the search for the best CHALLAH, ty
Can I use regular flour with this recipe? I live in Israel and have not seen high gluten flour
Hi Jaime,
I recently made your challah and it came out delicious. My whole family loved it however, the bread was very dense and lacked fluffyness. Is there anything I could do to make it better?
thanks for your time
hi Irit – it’s most probably the heat — are they too close to the oven or sitting over the counter with a dishwasher on underneath? if you make them in pans as opposed to on a baking sheet the pans will help hold their shape
Assuming you are making 4 large Challahs as the recipe calls for same temp and about the same time maybe 5-10 minutes more – also depends if you are doing in a loaf pan or free form on a baking sheet – loaf pan will need more like 10 -15 minutes more than recipe above and baking sheet about 5 to 10 minutes more than recipe above.
Dear Jamie,
I did this recipe with my sister and it worked wonderfully, it is such a great recipe.
However, I did it by myself twice already and every time the last two chalot waiting to go in the oven lose their shape, and ‘melt’. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Jamie,
If I’m making a 6 braided challah, how much time and at what temperature should I cook it?
hi Leah!! hope you like the video. welcome to Monsey!
Oh, Leah, have we got something to help you – watch this video and bookmark it to come back to every time you need a reminder. http://www.joyofkosher.com/2011/08/how-to-make-a-6-braid-challah-part-one/
Dear Jamie!
This Challah recipe was DELISH! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I live in Monsey too! Just moved here! Anyways, could you tell me how to braid a challah with six pieces? Thanks again!
Have a good Shabbos!
I’m confused! My yeast converts 2 oz. into 6 Tbs not 4. Help, which is it?
4 TBS
Joon!!! thank you thank thank you for taking the time to write. I really appreciate it!
Dear Jamie,
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe with the world. My first time baking challah was a spiritual experience it came out amazing!!!
Shabbat Shalom!
hi i want to know it how much soft?
Thats a great idea, thanks so much!
thanks Shira SOOOOOO much. I think you can cut it exactly in half and it should work for you. Also what I do sometimes (if I decide not to make cinnamon buns with the extra dough http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipe/challah-dough-cinnamon-buns-2/) is make all the dough and just before braiding I cut the dough in half, and wrap half in saran wrap and freeze the raw dough. Just make sure you let it defrost at room temperature and that the dough itself is at room temp (and not cold) before you start working with it. Good Luck!
🙁 sorry
Hi Jamie! first of all, I love your recipes. I followed your video the first time I made deli roll and all my friends wanted the recipe! Your food is always so pretty. I was wondering if it’s possible to cut all the ingredients in half for this challah recipe or if you think that would ruin the overall recipe? Thanks!
Thanks Jamie! I actually started using a babka topping- equal parts powdered sugar and flour and oil added until crumbly(a little water can sub for some of the oil)
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for responding so quickly. I’ll look for bread machine flour. Maybe I’ll have better luck with that. I’m in GA and the shipping on the flour that you suggested in that website is over $15.!!
Thank you Sheryl SO much! So glad you are enjoying JoK.com. Where are you writing from? Bread flour would work but gluten adds stickiness and sponginess to dough so high gluten will give you a better consistency/much lighter and fluffier challah/bread. I haven’t actually experimented with adding gluten to flour so I can’t advise you there but you could try looking for “bread machine flour” which is the same as high-gluten flour. Or if you want to order it online try this link http://www.allinkosher.com/p-33681-dependable-high-gluten-flour-6-lb-parve.aspx. Good luck!
Hi Hadas — where are you writing from? In Monsey, Far Rockaway and the 5 Towns (most likely Queens and Brooklyn too) you can easily find the “dependable” brand of high gluten flour in 5, 6 and 7 pound bags – check it out here: http://www.allinkosher.com/p-33681-dependable-high-gluten-flour-6-lb-parve.aspx
Fay! YAY! I really appreciate that you took the time to write in the comments here. Thank you. And so happy you all are loving it!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU ROCHEL! I am so appreciative of your support! You do make a good point about taking challah – we do address it in this video http://www.youtube.com/user/joyofkosher#p/u/19/LCkbhbkJmPk and in this post http://www.joyofkosher.com/2011/08/what-is-hafrashat-challah-separating-the-challah/. It’s a beautiful mitzvah! Thank you for bringing it to the forefront in the comments here.
hi Zahava – you did ask and I did answer – lol – we had a little technology glitch, Ok so I am SO in love with the crumb topping. My friend just made me a crumb topping challah after I had my baby. I must get the exact recipe for you but in the meantime this topping would also work well: http://www.joyofkosher.com/recipe/cran-apple-crunch-kugel-2/
please let us know how it you like it.
Hi, Jaime,
first of all, your challah recipe is the best that I’ve ever tried. I will never try another ever again!! 🙂
Secondly, If I were to add the crumb topping, would I add it right before baking the challah? It sounds amazing and want to try it.
Also, another question: I froze half the challah dough like you suggested in another comment and defrosted it in room temp. I honestly can’t remember what I did after that, but the challah didn’t come out that good. Any thoughts as to what may have happened? Maybe I didn’t let it defrost all the way? Does your challah come out the same when you defrost and bake?
Thank you!
hi SarahD. First YAY!!!! 2nd: Put the crumbs on right after you egg wash the challah, before baking. You can also try putting some of the crumbs inside the challah as well. Huge hit! 3rd. Since I have moved to Israel I have also been having trouble with my frozen raw dough. I am going to give it one more shot but I am going to pre shape it and freeze it like that. (Is that what you did?) And the number one rule is to let the dough come to room temp – it should not feel cold to the touch at all. It must fully thaw and then rise in a warm corner of your kitchen. Let me know if you have anymore Qs.
Jamie,
Thanks so much for the reply! I will definitely try the crumb-topping this week. Sounds amazing. About defrosting challah, funny thing-ever since I moved to Israel 2-1/2 years ago, I have not had any luck with defrosted dough! It just doesn’t come out the same. It worked for me a few times in the states, but not here…Weird. I will try again, though, anyway and let you know if it works and what I’ve done differently, etc…
If that fails, I will be cutting the recipe in half and trying it that way. At least sometimes, when I don’t need such a huge batch. The recipe is perfect as is, and feel that cutting it in half will take away its perfect charm. Why ruin a good thing?! I guess we’ll see. 🙂
Thank you!
Sarah.
Jamie, I can’t find high gluten flour =- will bread flour work, or can I add gluten to regular flour? If so, how much gluten would I add?
Thanks,
Sheryl
PS Awesome Website!
Thanks you make me feel that baking is
enjoyable
Kosher vitamins
http://thehealthyway.myshaklee.com/us/en/products.php?sku=20141
i usually only see 5 lb bags of flour..and i havent seen ” high gluten ” written on it..where can you get that in los angeles….?? thank you
Hi Jamie,
Thanks for your wondelful magazines, I love them. i could spend hours in the kitchen. I enjoy trying out new recipes. Well three weeks ago I saw the challah video and I decided to try it. Since my last recipe I tryed came out bad I told myself why go through the hassle. Well i tryed your reicpe and boy was it a hit, just like you said. Everyone in my house could not stop eating it. So my aunt bought me a bag of sifted flour not aware that I had made a batch last week, and I decided to make it again. This time all my sister-in-law and neices ate it to the last drop. Thanks again.
Hi Jamie — first of all, yours is my favorite cookbook. I’m just making your challah recipe now for the first time — it’s baking and smells delicious. Just a note — I’m assuming this cookbook was written for Jewish women, you should put somewhere in the instructions that one should “take challah” with a bracha, as soon as the dough is ready to rise. There are websites that can tell people how, if they’re not sure, but it’s important to have there, as it’s a big mitzvah.
Hi jamie! I thought I might have asked you this already but I don’t see my question posted , So I’ll ask it again. I was wondering if you have a recipe for sweet crumb topping for challah. Someone gave me challah with crumbs on it for Shalach manos and I didnt wash on it because I thought it was cake, it looked,smelled, and tasted so good! If you have a recipe for that, that would be awesome! Thanks!
Hi Evelyn — I always make 6 pounds so there is really no non-commercial machine out there that can handle the recipe in one batch. That’s why I always felt it was “easier” to just do it by hand all together. I will look into working on a smaller amount for a bread machine as soon as I have the chance.
FYI I have since halved this recipe and made it in a Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the dough hook with great success!
Hi Jamie,
when you said you have halved the recipe, do you mean just half of every ingredient? Do the times have to be adjusted at all? Thank you
Hi, sorry for the delay, the message got lost somewhere and I just found it. Jamie said, Halving the recipe just refers to a smaller overall yield, so 2 loaves of challah instead of 4. So just half the ingredients – assuming you are still making large pull-apart challahs – no need to adjust the baking time.
hi jamie i just did your challah and it looks amazing. cant wait to eat it. do you have a 5lb recipe? i would love to use my bread mahine. thank you!
How about a bread machine recipe?
Do you mean a 6 lb bag or 5 lb bag of flour? I have never seen a 6lb bag and do not have a food scale although I know that I should. If you do mean a 6lb bag, could you let me know what brand packages flour in that size? Thanks so much. Also, in your Irish Car Bomb Cake, you mentioned that you could not provide us with your buttercream recipe. I was wondering why since I really enjoy your recipes so much.
Hi Sarah – I do mean a 6lb bag. I use Dependable Foods, High Gluten Flour – check out the 6lb bag here: http://www.allinkosher.com/p-33681-dependable-high-gluten-flour-6-lb-parve.aspx. It’s about 4 cups of flour to a pound so you can use a 5lb bag plus 4 cups. And I am SOOOO happy you like my recipes — but the Irish Car Bomb Cake is not mine, it’s from our friend Shira — it’s her buttercream recipe — maybe you can leave her a comment under the cake recipe and coax her into sharing it with the world 🙂
I made this challah this weekend with half whole wheat flour and it came out amazing.
I also used some of the dough to make these blueberry buns for dessert – http://joyof.kosher.com/recipe/toronto-blueberry-buns/ – the BEST.
Hi Susan you could cut the sugar in this recipe but that will cut the flavor, if you are looking for whole wheat, or egg-less, or recipes developed with less sugar check out these http://www.joyofkosher.com/meal-course/course-breads-challah/
Why does this link open a page on the site “AviGlatt.com”?
Hi Chaya 1/4 cup!
Two cups sugar, Jaime? I’d be interested in a healthier version.
2 ounces of yeast would equal to how much if using a measuring cup?