A surprisingly sweet, yet light, challah that makes any night special. Feel free to knead some raisins into the dough if you like.
I've made challah almost every week for years and this is the best one yet! I put the ingredients in in a different order, as I've learned they should be added. Here's what I did: 1. Mix the yeast with 100 degree water and the white sugar and allow to bloom for 5 minutes, or until VERY foamy. 2. Mix in brown sugar, eggs and margarine. 3. Mix in flour and salt From there, I followed the recipe as normal. The challah was done after 30 minutes, so make sure you watch it closely. Cooking it for the 45 minutes the recipe suggest would ruin it in my oven! I added sesame seeds on top instead of poppies. It was just great!
Read MoreFollowed the instruction and I have a few comments. It took more than 7 cups of flower to get the dough elastic enough but not sticky. Secondly while it has risen to twice its size the first and the second time (after braiding it), it came out flat like in the picture. I am used to a bigger challah so I am not sure if baking powder or different type of yeasts were needed. Baking time was and should be less than 45 minutes or the temp recommendations here are incorrect. The bread came out slightly darker than the picture after 38 minutes. Lastly, while the house filled with wonderful scent of baking, the flavor was not that great. Somewhat sweet but nothing else. I would stick to white sugar only and probably more than a 1/2 cup to give it a slightly sweeter note.
Read MoreI've made challah almost every week for years and this is the best one yet! I put the ingredients in in a different order, as I've learned they should be added. Here's what I did: 1. Mix the yeast with 100 degree water and the white sugar and allow to bloom for 5 minutes, or until VERY foamy. 2. Mix in brown sugar, eggs and margarine. 3. Mix in flour and salt From there, I followed the recipe as normal. The challah was done after 30 minutes, so make sure you watch it closely. Cooking it for the 45 minutes the recipe suggest would ruin it in my oven! I added sesame seeds on top instead of poppies. It was just great!
An outstanding recipe by itself. After experimenting, I tweaked it a bit for a presentation-quality crown challah with the following: 1. As others, used half milk and half water 2. Increased both sugars to 1/3 cups 3. Increased salt to 1.5 TBS 4. Added 4 yolks to the 4 whole eggs (color and taste) 5. Added 1/4 Cup honey 6. Added 1 cup golden raisins (soak and drain if dry) 7. Lastly, to ensure height for the crown, last rise and baking was in a 12" round flat bottom pan with a 1" or higher side. Also found that by stretching the braids to long ropes gave an excellent stringy texture when pulled apart for eating
I think this is a very good challah--it turns out light and feathery, but I can't give it 5 stars because it too isn't as good as Challah I in my opinion. Challah I is more dense, but it's soft and has terrific mouth feel. If you want a lighter challah though, this is certainly one to try and it's very good. I sprinkled poppy seeds on top--very pretty.
Our family bakes bread twice weekly, and I'm fairly versed in both egg and yeast-only breads. This bread is as light as cotton candy, and yet tastes rich on your tongue. It makes great french toast once it has gone stale. Just perfect. The only downfall is that it takes 3 packets of yeast. However, yeast comes in a 3 pack, and yeast is cheap, so I guess that's not a big deal either.
Oh sooo good!! There is nothing like the feeling you get when a recipe makes you feel like a pro!! This is fool proof. I did add a little honey to mine and halved the brown sugar.(it was still sweet) I did everything in my kitchen Aid with the dough hook, (kneaded for 6-7 minutes) it couldnt have been easier. The dough was really sticky like others said but I just used a couple tablespoons extra of flour and a floured surface to form the braided loaves, dont worry about the sticky texture. It turns out beautifully.
One of the best challah recipes I've used-- the loaf was 6x the dough height and had a great sweet but not too sweet texture. It also worked very well in density for the day after french toast. I did change the order I added the ingredients as another reviewer suggested (e.g., yeast + 1 c. warm water + white sugar, wait 5 min, then add brown sugar, 1 c. water, eggs, and slowly add in flour and salt.).
I love this recipe. I was raised on Zopf, as is eaten in Germany, and this is so very much like it. I will add perhaps another quarter cup of sugar and some raisins the next time I make it to make it taste even more like the Zopf I'm used to. It's great with coffee, as a light breakfast. But eat it up quickly as it is best the first day...after that it becomes a little stale.
Delicious! I kneaded an extra cup of flour into the dough since it was so sticky. I also substituted Spectrum organic palm oil shortening for the margarine since my son is allergic to soy. My Jewish husband said it's the best challah he's ever had!
Amazing, Light and delicious! Make sure (I guess as with all bread!) to use ACTIVE yeast :)
I just finished making this Challah (my very first one) about an hour ago. It's beautiful & fluffy, although not as sweet as I thought it would be with the 1/2 cup of sugar. I thought I screwed up because it was still sticky when I let it rise. I was so paranoid about adding too much flour making it stiff and kneading it too much which would make dense. I was able to make 3 loafs out of this batch. I think my converted jewish brother-in-law would be proud of me. Next time I won't be too afraid to add a little more flour or to knead it a little more.
I have tried dozens of recipes for Challah, and have been making it every weekend for years. This recipe is foolproof. I make a few simple changes, nothing so significant that I would rate the recipe anything below five stars. I use canola oil instead of melted margarine (we have a soy allergy in the family and it is easier), and I add a tiny bit more sugar- maybe an extra tablespoon. Instead of sprinkling with poppy seeds, I use coarse sea salt or sugar- sometimes a combination of both! Love this Challah, thank you Miriam. Shabbat Shalom!
yummy! I was looking for a lighter challah with flavor and this was perfect. My husband loved it. Only thing was I followed what the other reviewers said about adding more sugar and it was a mistake, it came out too sweet. next time I'll stick to the recipe :)
The first yeast bread I have ever made! It came out wonderful...I feel like a pro !!!!
This is an amazing bread; it is so moist and fluffy! My dough was really sticky, so I ended up adding about 1/2 cup of extra flour, and my braid spread out a little because the dough was soft! The end result wasn't beautiful, but the taste definitely made up for it! Thanks for the yummy recipe; I will be making it again!
I made this bread for Easter and realized after doing a full 8 minutes of kneading I had forgot to add the eggs! So back in the bowel it went, mixed the eggs in best I could, re-kneaded it with a bit more flour to get it all to mix, and hoped for the best... Well talk about a forgiving recipe! It was by far still the best loaves of bread I had made in a long time, will def be making this one again!
First Challa I tried. Everyone enjoys it and one child throws tantrums for it! I make the dough, let it rise, braid it -.and then freeze it after wrapping in plastic wrap. When I need it, I take the plastic wrap off and let it rise the second time for 3 hours (no extra yeast needed) . I then cook it. I did decrease time of cooking to 35 minutes for a more moist bread.
My first time making Challah, and I'm hooked! This is a simple, straight forward recipe that is almost failproof. I didn't have enough AP flour, so I used 1/2 AP and 1/2 wheat flour. It came out perfect. This is my new go-to bread.
Followed the instruction and I have a few comments. It took more than 7 cups of flower to get the dough elastic enough but not sticky. Secondly while it has risen to twice its size the first and the second time (after braiding it), it came out flat like in the picture. I am used to a bigger challah so I am not sure if baking powder or different type of yeasts were needed. Baking time was and should be less than 45 minutes or the temp recommendations here are incorrect. The bread came out slightly darker than the picture after 38 minutes. Lastly, while the house filled with wonderful scent of baking, the flavor was not that great. Somewhat sweet but nothing else. I would stick to white sugar only and probably more than a 1/2 cup to give it a slightly sweeter note.
I cut this recipe in half to make two manageable challahs. I still find that is plenty for a meal of 8-10 people.
This is my favorite bread recipe! Have been making this bread for over 7 years. The loaves disappear as soon as I take them out of the oven. Makes wonderful butter or cheese toast. Great as gifts! Absolutly NO changes needed.
Very nice! It is an exceptionally light and sweet challah-like bread. The poppy seeds make a wonderful final touch! A quick note on cooking time: this loaf should come out of the oven when it registers 190 degrees in the middle. Usually takes about 25-30 minutes.
Excellent! Excellent! I don't usually have success making breads but this one...was easy and turned out beautifully!
Excellent bread, bakes up beautifully, smells wonderful and people are always very impressed by how professional it looks! I've never had this recipe fail me.
Ok I never made challah bread. I have made numerous others though. I wanted it for an Easter bread. I braided it and placed it on a cookie sheet. I put 3 uncooked colored eggs in the center of the braids. It came out awesome. Thank you.
Every time i tried making challah before, some how or another i messed it up. I made this recipe already 5 times and each time it came out GR8, well more then great. I added extra salt and a lot of basil, parsley and garlic powder. My friends keep asking me to make more for them every week....
tasty! a very good bread but it really didn't taste sweet enough to be classified as challah IMO. i followed the recipe exactly but had to add more flour as the dough was really too sticky and i was actually able to make three smaller loaves rather than two huge ones. i liked this recipe but might consider some of the tips from other reviews to make it sweeter.
First time I have made Challah! I love the look of braided bread - it was wonderful in smell, taste and beautiful to look at. I followed the recipe exactly except I used butter instead of margarine.
Made this for Easter dinner, and it was wonderful! Not as hard as it sounds at first.
Just finished baking it. It took me all day to make it. it looks great and the dough was so nice, BUT it is not challah like i know. Not sweet enough, it tastes more like bread. I'll try the challah with honey next time.
This was my firsttry at Challah & I was very nervous. But it came out beautiful looking & so fluffy & tasty. It's been dubbed our new Thanksgiving bread by my family. :)
Simply delicious. The smell is wonderful too. Sweet and bready just the right amount.
For a richer flavor I opted to use all brown sugar. Make sure you don't over kneed this dough, or you will loose all of that awesome texture. Sweet, flaky, dense but airy...One I will make over and over again!
The first time I ever made Challah on my own and it turned out great. My family loved it!
Wow! So delicous and easy! I followed the recipe, but made two loafs. One loaf was traditional with the addition of sprinkling kosher salt on top before baking! What a wonderful edition. The other one I added mini chocolate chips, and again, everyone raved! I definitely did not cook it 45 minutes. Watch it at 30 minutes to make sure it wouldn't burn and that the bread sounds hollow when you tap on it!. Good luck!
Just made this tonight, and already one loaf is gone! Yummy! This is a perfect "no fail" bread dough, I even mistakenly only used 1/2 the required yeast, and the bread still rose and baked up beautifully! I was worried it would be dense, but it is light and the texture is perfect. I only added 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and only used about a tsp of white to get the yeast started. The bread is still sweet enough for us, and will make a wonderful addition to our Easter Meal. I topped with a combo of poppy seeds and sesame seeds (only because I couldn't decide!), brushed twice with the egg mixture and baked only 1/2 hour in my oven. Made 1 GIANT loaf, and two smaller ones, picture perfect! Will definitely make again!
The dough was easy to make and rose well, but making the long ropes and braiding the dough was difficult. I made 1 braided loaf and put the extra dough in the fridge. The bread looked wonderful when I took it out of the oven, I was impressed with my efforts. But I was a little disappointed when I tasted it...Not a lot of flavor at all... A bit bland for me. Not at all terrible by any means, but I was expecting a bit more flavor after doing all that work. Maybe that was somewhat my fault because I used all purpose flour instead of bread flour (simply because I didn't notice that until I had begun). Good dough to practice with though.
Oh wow, this is delicious and beautiful! Sweet and dense but soft. I wish I could post a picture; I curled my 2 braids into C's on my baking stone. I didn't have the seeds needed so we sprinkled on a little caraway and rosemary. It takes forever- but that's good bread!
I've been looking for the right challah recipe and I believe I've found it! I've made it 3 or 4 times already with great success. I use coconut oil in place of the margarine and have at times substituted some of the flour for some spelt flour. This gives it a denser consistency. It is so easy and fool proof.
I have tried this recipe twice and found the second time after brushed with honey and sprinkled with poppy seeds, it was great...5+ stars. But the first was still 5 star.
I made this in the bread machine and halved the recipe for just one loaf. I needed an egg bread for french toast and bread pudding, and this turned out beautifully! I did have to use almost 4 c. of flour for a half recipe, though.
I made half the recipe and it turned out a huge loaf. Its the first time I succeed in making bread. I followed the video step by step and it was very easy. My only mistake was that I brushed the loaf with yolk and water: it turned brown after 10 minutes in oven and I had to cover it with Alum sheet. The result was a semi-sweet very tasty bread. Next time I'll add dried raisins or chocolate chips.
I've tried several Challah Bread recipes and THIS IS FAR THE BEST OF ALL!!! OMG!!! This bread is so yummy!!! It makes 3 large loaves. I highly recommend this recipe....and I didn't change a thing!!! Blessings! ***July 2014 I'm editing my first comment......I've started making this recipe into 6 loaves, braiding each loaf. For this last Shabbat, I sprinkled Granulated Garlic on the counter (the length of my 3 ropes), then rolled them in it. Then I braided the loaf. For the next loaf, I sprinkled Ground Cinnamon and chopped Craisins on the counter in front of 3 ropes and rolled each in the cinnamon/craisins, then braided together. When this loaf cooled, I drizzled icing on it made from Powdered Sugar and International Delight Hazelnut creamer to make a pourable icing. YUM!!!! It's endless what you can do with this recipe!!
This dough was very very sticky. Was a little nervous about it turning out ok, but it was delicious. Made it for Christmas Eve/Day meals. A delicious, sweet bread. A real treat!!!
Beautiful bread, but not much taste. Will use some of the other comments next time I make it. I used butter. The time of 45 minutes is almost 10 min. too long, I took mine out after 35 min. and the top was quite brown. I put the egg wash on too thick which made the bread stick to a greased pan. I used the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid mixer to mix the bread/knead for 7 min. then hand kneaded it for 2 more min. As I said the bread presents beautifully, no problem w/stickiness that a touch of additional flour didn't solve. Very easy to make using dough hook.
Everyone loved this bead! I made two loaves thinking it would last the length of Rosh Hashanah. Nope. My family ate an entire loaf in one night! I anticipate the second loaf will be gone just as quickly. This was a very simple recipe. The only thing I did differently was I followed the tips provided by CMDMD and I added half a cup of honey in addition to the white and brown sugar. This came out a bit more cake-like than traditional challah but oh so amazing.
I've never had challah bread so it is hard for me to rate this recipe on the flavor of typical challah. So I will skip that part. As for the reviewer who had her bread fall flat she probably forgot salt, so don't forget to add that and your bread should be fine. Mine rose perfectly and looks stunning! It did only cook for about 30 minutes so be sure to check on it after 30 minutes in the oven. Thanks for a great recipe for a newbie to challah!
I liked it but I just cant seem to get the braid to look braided! It keeps coming out looking like a loaf than a Challah, what is the secret?
So sad. This did not taste like Challah that I am used to. Not sweet enough and was more like plain white bread. I wouldn't exactly call it a "light bread" either. It didn't seem to rise too much after it was braided. Took 35 minutes to bake. Sorry to say I won't be making this one again. Thanks anyways MIRIAM571.
This bread is wonderful! I halved the recipe to make one loaf and added 1 c. raisins and 1-1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon without any problems. The dough rose beautifully. I used a glass measuring cup in microwave instead of a pan on stove. Also added 1 Tbsp. sugar to egg wash. Other than those minor tweaks, I didn't do anything differently, and it turned out great. Thanks so much for sharing!
Delicious! So easy! The only change I made was to follow the ingredients additions by reviewer CMDMD. Fabulous! The bread rose beautifully and the presentation and flavour was superb.
We LOVE this recipe!! I will often put in 3-4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese to change this into a delicious cheesy dinner roll recipe
Ok, we just purchased a new mixer last night and for its inauguration I just made this challah. It is one of the most beautiful things I've ever made. Light in texture, but rich in flavor. We love it! Thanks for the recipe, Miriam.
The only thing I changed was the baking time. In my electric oven at 350, it was done in 30 minutes with a beautiful, deep golden crust. I left off the seeds because I was sharing the bread with small children (they HATE seeds.)
A lovely recipe! This is the first time I've made challah and I couldn't be happier with it. I combined the ingredients the way another commenter did - yeast water sugar, then the eggs, etc. Very light and airy, has a wonderful flavor. Will make it again for sure!
This is an easy recipe. The bread is light, fluffy, looks wonderful and tastes even better than it looks. I have tried other Challah recipes but this one is a tried and true recipe.
Very good bread recipe! As another reviewer suggested, I "bloomed" the yeast in the water and continued from there. My two loaves were HUGE! I put them on the same sheet pan, and they "expoded". There was a couple of inches around both loaves, after I braided them. By the time they came out of the oven, they were touching all sides of the pan, and each other. Might make three smaller loaves next time.
Made this yesterday. Took some effort but well worth it. I will certainly make this again.
So yummy! when I make this bread for my family I get rave reviews. I adjust a couple things....I raise the sugar and the brown sugar to 1/3 cup each. Then I raise the yeast to 3 1/2 Tbsp.
I loved this recipe!!!!!!! But instead of poppy seeds, i did cinnamon and sugar. thank you for this recipe!!!!!!!!!!!
Followed recipe to a T, but used butter instead of margarine, came out perfect everyone loved it. Highly suggest your try takes time but worth it . .
Everything went ok until the second proof...I covered it with a damp cloth according to directions, but the cloth stuck to the dough and it was impossible to peel it off without destroying the braided dough, so beware.
This bread was fabulous! I had bread machine yeast but didn't make the bread in the machine. I put the liquid ingredients in the bottom of the bowl. I used butter instead of margarine. I mixed the dry ingredients and put them in the bowl with the yeast put in last. I did use 1/3 cup each of the sugars. Those minor adjustments were the only ones. I baked the bread in the upper oven of my double oven and the bread was done in 25 minutes. It was light with a nicely browned crust. Forty-five minutes would have been a disaster.
Delicious bread! I used butter instead of margarine and changed the order as someone suggested. I will increase sugar or add honey next time. I could tell the loaves would be big, so I made 3 instead of two, turned out perfectly. Great with a little jelly and a cup of coffee. I will make again!
This bread came out super good when I made it! Added a bit of cinnamon and some extra sugar to make it more like a dessert bread. Overall a good recipe though.
I just made this recipe , 3 cups flour is not enough, I use 6 and half cup, and I replace white flour for wheat . But thanks anyways for sharing
This bread is nice and soft, and I like it. I baked one in a loaf pan and braided the other. The braided loaf came out flat. I don't know if I did it wrong, so maybe it's me. I'm going to try other challah recipes though. The bread was good, but it's not the challah bread I thought it would be. Onto the next recipe. 4 stars since it still tastes good and is nice and soft. As other reviewers noted, the cook time is off. Try 30 minutes.
I've tried multiple different challah recipes...this is by far the best. I also substituted honey for the brown sugar, and it worked exceptionally well.
mixed by hand, opposite of most reviews mine wasn't very sticky at all and had to add hot water when kneading to get some elasticity back. Turned out a little dense, but good. Will try making a sweeter variety next time though.
Delicious bread! I used butter instead of margarine and changed the order as someone suggested. I will increase sugar or add honey next time. I could tell the loaves would be big, so I made 3 instead of two, turned out perfectly. Great with a little jelly and a cup of coffee. I will make again!
I made two beautiful braided loaves today.. they looked divine. Followed the directions to the t,but they were a bit dry...do not know why..
hello i’m 14 years old and i baked challah from this recipe but i only took 1/4 of each ingredient, to test it out ( i didn’t want to waste a full challah if it didn’t turn out) anyways, it turned out great, first times a charm! yay my family was very happy to eat such lovely challah on such a lovely friday night
It looked beautiful, was easy to follow the directions, but it just tasted like ok homemade bread. Not light or sweet or cakey, or puffy. Quite dense. Would be good bread but only ok challah. I’m going to make a different recipe every week till I find the right one.
I was worried because my kitchen was colder than I thought, and the bread did not rise very much. But I rolled it out and baked it and it turned out great! A little denser than what was described (probably due to not rising well) but delicious!
Delicious nice consistency! a few minor changes based on other reviews... 1 c milk & 1 cup water; 4 Add'l Egg YOLKS; Add 1/4 Cup Honey; Bloom Yeast first in Milk, Water (105°-110°), White Sugar (approx 5 mins) then add, eggs & additional yolks, brown sugar & salted Butter (in lieu of margarine)... Make sure to add enough salt (I didn't!)
Such a great recipe!! It makes 2 large loaves but I decided to cut it into 8 small braided loaves so this added more time to prep but it was worth it. Also, I substituted with butter and cane sugar (not white sugar). First time making it and I couldn't believe how delicious it came out.
This was absolutely fantastic. Did not change a thing. I used black and white sesame seeds because that is what I had. Yes the dough is sticky but the moisture is what helps it cook . If yours was tough or dry or very dense you added way too much flour. Or you did not need this enough.
Came out as well as any other make at home Challah I have tried. I did make some adjustments: For starters - I halved the recipe. With that I used only 1 packet of yeast, and let it bloom first in the warm water with the sugars. Then I substituted Olive Oil for the margarine. According to an online chart - for 1/4 cup margarine I added 3 tbsp. of olive oil. I used all purpose flour as it was what I had on hand and let it rise. I have a proofing setting on my oven, and rising my yeast breads has never been easier with this option. Just placed it in with a small bowl of water and went to the park for an hour or two. !
One of my first attempts at bread. Turned out beautiful and delicious. I did like another reviewer suggested. Same ingredients...but in different order. Started with warm water both sugars and yeast mixed together let sit for 5-10 minutes. Then poured foamy mixture into mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients. Then followed kneading and rising and braiding instructions. My bread was done baking at 20-22 minutes.
