This Challah Bread is a sweet bread. Use it as a side dish or to make delicious sandwiches.
My family has a thing for bread, especially any sort of sweet bread. It gets a little out of control how much bread my children can eat in one sitting. So any time we find a delicious bread recipe, we hang onto it and make it a lot, especially in the colder months.
This Challah Bread was first introduced to me at my local grocery store. Always liking a challenge, I decided to try to take it on at home.
I ended up serving it with a lamb dish. Since getting food poisoning a few weeks ago, my ability to eat foods has really decreased. As this has never happened to me before, I am shocked at what I feel like I can’t eat. Lamb turns out to be one of those things.
The nice thing about this bread is that it is such a sweet bread that I felt like it offset the nausea I was feeling with the lamb. It’s a normal roll-type bread and is delicious!
Have you tried Challah Bread before?
How to make this sweet braided bread.
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 1 cup water
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- white sugar crystals
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In a small bowl, combine lukewarm water and yeast. Stir in about 1/4 teaspoon sugar. Let rest until yeast is activated (bubbles and a frothy layer will appear on the top of the water).
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In a standing mixer, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add in the yeast mixture, eggs, and oil. This will create a dough.
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Allow the dough to form and mix on a low speed for about 5 minutes (or work by hand for about 10 minutes). If the dough is too sticky, add flour about a tablespoon at a time until the dough becomes tacky and does not stick to the sides of the bowl. The dough is done when it is smooth and can hold the shape of a ball.
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Place the dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover with a slightly damp towel or plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise until doubled, about 2 hours. (Placing the dough in a warm area will help it to double.)
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Once the dough has doubled, separate the dough into 2 equal strands. Hold the strands together at the top and cross each strand over the opposite strand to create a braid. Alternatively, you could create 3+ strands to create different designs. Squeeze both ends together.
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Place the braid onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or that has been lightly sprayed with oil. Gently place a towel on top of the braid and let rest and rise for about an hour. The braid should be puffed up.
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Whisk together an egg white and a tablespoon of water to create an egg white wash. Brush the top of the braid with the egg white wash.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for 30 minutes rotating the pan halfway through. The Challah is done when the bread is a dark brown color on top or 190°F in the middle.
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Sprinkle sugar crystals on top. Let the Challah cool on a cooling rack. Pull a part or slice and serve.
- Melted butter may be used in place of oil.
We love bread, and I love challah bread. Although, I’ve never tried making it. Seems like it’s pretty easy though.
I love making homemade bread! I’ve never tried a challah bread recipe before but this sounds so good!
I love bread of any kind and love baking as well. Slightly sweeter breads are definitely something I love with a smear of salted butter on top. The bread looks lovely and love the beautiful color of the crust.
I am so happy to find this recipe!!! We have a difficult time finding it in our local grocer and I have a delicious stuffed peach french toast I love to make that I prefer the Challah for!!! I can’t wait to try it with a homemade version!
Wow your Challah Bread has turned out so good!..I have been wanting to bake this one for so long, and have bookmarked so many, guess I will bookmark yours as well..
I love how pretty your challah turned out. We eat challah every week on Friday here. Before I moved to Israel I had to make challah at home. Now I only ever make it because here we can easily buy it at the bakery. Saving this for later. Love that golden color.
I have never made challah, but I am going to give it a try. This is stunning. So beautiful, and I bet it tastes amazing.
Your challah bread is really beautiful love golden color crust. It has been long time I made challah at home. I need to now.
Bread is a great uniting food. Put bread on the table and you’ve got a room full of people sharing the bread and their company. I’ve been reading homemade bread recipes lately and this one looks like one I can manage.
Love love love Challah Bread! I haven’t had it in quite awhile, so I think I definitely need to make it. And since my husband loves making bread, this would be a fun recipe for date night!
I love Challah bread and this looks beautiful!
I loooove Challah bread but I’ve never made my own. It’s so perfect for French toast!