Almost every Friday, I make challah. People are always raving about how yummy my challah is. Once I made a challah for a friend, and her dog stole it, and ate it, and she was bitter for over a year.
People assume I slaved over a hot stove, punched and kneaded the dough for hours and that I have some special magical skills. But I don’t. I just have a really great recipe, and I can’t even take credit for that. I got it from my dear pal Geneva Wasserman.
Last week while making it, I shot a little “Insta-Tutorial”.
Ready to start? Dissolve two packets of yeast & 3 TBS sugar in 1 cup of warm water. I do this right in the bowl of my mixer and walk away to check my email.
15-20 minutes later it’s ALIVE! Bubbling and frothy.
Time to start mixing in all the other stuff. I like to alternate between the wet and dry ingredients which include:
- 2 egg yolks (reserve the whites for later)
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbs salt
- 1/3 cup sugar (you can sub honey or agave)
Flour – about 7 cups but I don’t really measure. I just keep adding till I get the right consistency which is not too sticky and gooey, but still a little “springy”.
That dough hook really makes me look good. It does all the work for me. In just a few minutes, all the ingredients are incorporated and the dough comes together in a ball.
When the dough is done, it’s still a little sticky. Place it in a very well oiled bowl, covered with a damp cloth or paper towel and leave it to rise for an hour or so.
Best to leave in an area that is a little warm, like on a stove with a pilot light (but not a flame).
Check it out. It really grows! The kids will be amazed. Punch it back down and let it rise again. About another hr but my timing is not strictly precise.
After another hr it’s time to braid the challah. I use a knife to slice the dough in half, as this recipe is enough to make two large loaves. You can then slice into three pieces to roll three ropes for a simple braid. Or five. Or six. Or eight. Or eleven. If you want to be all fancy like that. I swear whatever number you search for on YouTube (try: “Challah Braid 8”), there is a challah braiding tutorial for that number of strands. Just be warned. Some of them are in Japanese. Which makes for a very entertaining challah braiding experience if you don’t understand Japanese.
I even did my own tutorial on how to braid a round challah. Braiding the challah is my most favorite part of making challah. It’s like doing hair minus the combing and my daughter complaining that I am pulling her scalp off.
Once I even fashioned a challah into a turkey.
After you braid your challah, let it rise a little more for half an hour or so, covered with a damp cloth. Preheat your oven to 365 degrees. Get out those egg whites and any toppings you might want to add. I suggest sesame or poppy seeds, or if you’re the fun mom, rainbow sprinkles.
Brush your challah with the egg whites and apply toppings before you pop in the oven. I usually make one fun challah with sprinkles and one boring without. Boring makes great french toast over the weekend.
Bake for 25-30 minutes and remove from oven. I like to cool my challah on this handy bunk bed like rack.
I probably couldn’t make this challah without my trusty Kitchen Aid Mixer. In fact, I think I might have to trade up to the pro size soon as this recipe is just a little too much volume for my beloved standard sized pink Susan G Komen edition.
Oye I can’t even tell you how much I love Challah bread and I so LOVE AND Want that pink Kitchen Aid Mixer so badly!
also pinned this post and shared and tweeted!
Ok..this is the most amazing recipe!! The bread looks amazing!! I can’t wait to try it. 🙂
I can’t believe you can do this every week! You are super women! I am going to try next week mine never turns out like this! Have you tried different to use different flours?
Looks SO delicious! Wow! I have to try it!
Is kitchen aid u used 5 quart or 6?
Mine is a 5 qt. I have to take care that the dough doesn’t creep up over the hook!
let me know if you do, I’d love to see it 🙂
How many challahs does this recipe make?
It makes two large challahs or four small ones 🙂
Thanks looking forward to try it:)
Looks so delicious!
Do you use self rising or all purpose flour?
I’ve tasted Geneva’s challahs and they are sinfully delicious! Thanks so much for letting me have the opportunity to make it myself (though I doubt it will be as good as Genevas)!
Hi!
I Love making this challah, but have a quick question. Do you need to separate a piece and make a bracha?. I did not weigh it but I think it is not 5 pounds.
Thanks!
Can the ingredients in this recipe be halved to make just one loaf? Have you tried it that way?
I haven’t halved it but I have doubled it! I usually freeze the extra loaf.. if there is one.
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve started making this bread for EVERY occasion, and people are OBSESSED with it. I always get requests for the recipe, and my boyfriend can down a half a loaf in one sitting. Plus, I get to use the Kitchen Aid he got me for Christmas! Anyway, thanks for a great tutorial and great recipe — it’s changed the way I bake!
Wow! that is so great to hear. It’s really good stuff 🙂
Did you use Rapid RIse yeast I ask because the photo shows Rapid Rise yeast. I’m new to bread making and wanted try this recipe. I have the rapid rise on hand but it says to combine the ingredients differently does it really matter? Thanks for posting.
I’ve used regular and rapid rise – both work fine with this recipe!
I saved your recipe for a few weeks and made challah the day my mixer came. I have to tell you, we just finished eating dinner a minute ago, and it was the hit of the night!!! It came out incredible! Thanks for the great recipe! Next week I’m making the same recipe with your round challah tutorial! Shana Tova!
That is so awesome – I am so glad to hear it! I’m going to share a sweet/dessert version that we made this year soon.
I made this bread for my Jewish friend amd family. I was able to give it to them for the first day of Hannuhak. They raved at how good it was! My friend’s wife called me personally to thank me and said her family enjoyed it so much! Thank you for sharing so i could be apart of thier happiness!
Oh my! This makes me so happy 🙂 I am so glad it worked out so well for you. This recipe has never failed us!
I just got married and this is the first time I’m making challah for Shabbos! Do you turn the mixer on as you’re adding the ingredients, or add the ingredients and then turn the mixer on? And what speed do you have the mixer on? Thank you! 🙂
If you have the larger mixer you can add while on low speed. Otherwise I would shut off and add or it might make a mess 😉 low/medium speed!
What a great Challah recipe. The instructions are clear and I am having great results. I love the tutorial on the 8 braid round challah. My friends enjoy my breads and are impressed. Thanks.
I’m so glad you are enjoying! It’s pretty easy isn’t it!?
My husband loves golden raisin challah? Would I add them at the end of kneading? Any idea how much to add.
my challah loaves flattened out a lot. How do I get the pretty defined braid? Any tips?
Are you using fresh yeast? This should not have happened unless there was a problem with the yeast!
I’d add about a half cup while mixing the dough!
Wow! This recipe rocks! Forgot to buy challah this past Friday and my husband suggested just making some. I googled “kitchenaid challah” and yours came up first and boy am I glad!
This came out SO delicious. My 4 children super enjoyed braiding their own challah as well. This may just become a weekly tradition! YUMMMM!! Thank you so much for posting this with such beautiful pics and personal description.
-Roni from Moreshet, Israel
Thanks so much for letting me know it worked for you! I love to hear about other people making this easy challah. My kids fight over who gets to braid it and they love adding sprinkles!
Going to try this on Friday. I have a professional Kitchen Aid mixer and have not been able to convert my recipe so that the Kitchen Aid works properly. Going to try it your way!!! Thanks!
good luck! Let me know how it turns out!
Do you use regular all purpose or Unbleached flour?
I have used both with good results, as well as a blend with whole wheat, with a little less fluffy but still tasty results!
Just wanted to say thank you. My daughters and I have been making this recipe probably dozens of dozens of times since you posted. It’s easy to follow and we love eating it. It usually doesn’t last long enough to cool off. Thanks.
Thanks for making my day! It’s a keeper of a recipe 🙂
Thank you, thank you, thank you! After several weeks of challah dough failure I tried this recipe. It’s perfect!
I’m so happy to hear this! It’s such an easy recipe and never fails me 🙂
Do you ever leave the dough overnight to rise? I want to make it Thursday night and braid and bake it on Friday. Would that work?
I have not done this but I would refridgerate after making it and then take out to rise next day – lmk if it works!
Thanks again. I got out the yeast this morning and my two girls perked up, “Yeah, Challah bread, can we help.” Thanks for helping me continue a fun family tradition. This is still our favorite go-to recipe
awesome – thanks for letting me know 🙂
Thnaks! I have been looking for this!!!
Can I use spelt flour without any other changes?
I would go with a spelt baking mix if possible.
Just made this for the first time ever and my braids cracked while proofing and then even worse after baking. Tastes great nut doesn’t look so pretty. Any ideas on what I could have done wrong?
I’m so sorry to hear this. I have not had this issue, except when working with gluten free doughs. I got around it by purchasing a challah mold, which turns out perfect looking (if faux) braids!
The two challahs will not fit in the over at once. Can I bake one at a time? Also I don’t not have a gas stove. Can I put the challahs in a warm oven to rise
sure – you can bake one at a time. I’d be interested to hear how that turns out – whether the extra rise time makes a difference for the second one. I angle the two on one large baking sheet and get them both into my oven at once but I have a largish oven!
I love this recipe as i have a kitchenmaid 5qt stand mixer. Can this recipe be used with gluten free flour as well? As I would love to have challah again at my table. Oh and does it really mix ok in the 5qt stand mixer?
I have had limited luck with GF challah. The best I’ve had is with Orly’s Blends and by baking in a silicon braid mold. I follow the package directions. I am GF and bake this for myself! For my family I do this recipe in the 5 qt stand mixer. I have to watch the dough
and stop the mixer periodically so it doesn’t creep up into the works – it is *just* big enough.