Challah Bread Recipe
This soft, slightly sweet, dairy-free six-strand Challah is perfect for soup, sandwiches, or turning into French toast. A versatile bread that keeps on giving!
Servings: 1 loaf
Equipment
Ingredients
Bread Dough
- ¼ cup warm water 90°F to 110°F max
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon active dry yeast or instant yeast
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil 74 g
- ⅓ cup honey 112 g
- 3 large egg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cup all-purpose flour 405 g
- Extra flour as needed
Egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Mix warm water with the granulated sugar in a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it bloom for 10 - 15 minutes. If you have a thermometer, ensure the water temperature does not exceed 110°F or the yeast will die. Otherwise, lukewarm water from the tap should work just fine.¼ cup warm water, 2 teaspoon active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- In the stand mixer bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, honey and egg until well combined. Add the bloomed yeast, flour and salt, and knead with the dough hook on medium-low speed for a few minutes until a soft dough forms. You can need to knead up to 10-15 minutes. The dough tends to become easier to handle the longer you knead.⅓ cup vegetable oil, ⅓ cup honey, 3 large egg, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 3 cup all-purpose flour
- Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured counter top and shape into a ball. Oil a large bowl and place the dough into the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow to rise in a warm spot until double in size. This may take 1 - 2 hours or longer depending on the ambient temperature. To speed up the process, you can place the dough into your oven with the oven light on. This will keep it nice and warm, but make sure you don't accidentally turn the oven on.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter top and divide into 6 equal portions. Roll each portion into a thin strand about 20” in length.
- Place your dough strands on top of a large piece of parchment paper. Gather one end together. Swing the first strand on the right over to the left, across the other strands, and loop it under the fourth strand only. Keep doing this until you get to the ends. When you can't braid the dough anymore, tuck the ends in under the loaf.
- Slide the loaf onto a baking sheet and trim the parchment paper if necessary. Allow it to rise in a warm spot until double in size and very puffy, this may take 1 - 2 hours or longer depending on the ambient temperature. Again, you can place this inside your oven with the light turned on to keep it warm.
- Remove the dough from the oven if you were letting it rise in there, and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare egg wash by beating one egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush the top of the risen dough with egg wash very lightly, getting it in all the nooks and crannies. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the internal temperature registers 190°F.1 large egg, 1 tablespoon water
- Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Make a proofing box: I especially like using the oven with the light turned on as a proofing box to let the dough rise in the winter when the ambient temperature is cold. You can also place a 9"x13" baking dish on the bottom oven rack and fill it with boiling water to let the steam warm the oven and keep it humid for the second rise. This will be helpful to keep the dough from drying out since you can't cover it during the second rise.
- Storage: you can keep your challah at room temperature for a few days, wrapped in a kitchen towel or in a large ziploc bag. Or you can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp, and toast it up before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 866g | Calories: 2674kcal
