Challah bread, Jewish shabbat or sabbath bread is delicious and so fun to make. I am not Jewish, but I can see the beauty and the deep ancient history and symbolism associated with this bread. I find it fascinating and it has all of my respect!
The bread is also super delicious and I love it pulled apart with my hands and shared with everyone at the table! It has an almost magic ability to bring people together. Traditionally a Jewish Shabbat or sabbath bread, challah bread symbolically has a total of 12 strands, divided into a 6 strand braid on the bottom and a 6 strand braid laid directly on top. This represents the 12 tribes of Israel coming together, see beautiful right.
Challah tastes amazing when it’s sliced, buttered and jammed, or when your leave the slices out over night so they slightly dry out and are used for amazing french toast or bread pudding! Yum! I will take it any way I can!
Challah dough makes for a fun canvas to create any type of shape or design of bread as you would like. My kids love creating with me and of course they love eating the final product even more! We made a mermaid once and my 2 year old thought it was the cutest baby doll. She held it like a baby and rocked it. That is until my 4 year old came and ripped her arm off and ate it. After a little persuasion she decided to share and we could eat her dolly. Ha ha!
Here is what you will need to make Challah bread:
Makes 1 large loaf or 2 small loafs
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 1 1/4 Cup warm water
- 1/4 Cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yoke (save the egg white for the egg wash)
- 1/4 Cup vegetable oil
- 4 1/2-5 Cups flour
- 2 Tablespoons water for the egg wash
Instructions
- Mix yeast and water in a large mixing bowl and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Add the sugar to the mixture, followed by the salt, eggs and egg yoke, and vegetable oil.
- Next, add flour one cup at a time until dough comes together and can be formed into a ball. This dough is inherently sticky but it should stick together in a ball.
- Knead the dough for roughly 5 minutes with a mixer or 10 minutes by hand or until the dough is very elastic and smooth. We want a good gluten response for this bread.
- Let the dough rise in a greased bowl in a warm place for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until dough is nearly doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, gently punch down the dough, but don’t totally deflate the dough.
- Divide the dough into the amount of strains you want to have in your braid. In mine I had 7 strands. Traditional bread has 12 strands in two 6 strand braids laid on top of each other.
- For my loaves I usually do a 7 stranded braid. Where I weave the outer piece of dough through the other strands to the other side then grab the other sides outer piece which creates this slightly basket woven braid look. You can do whatever braid you feel comfortable with and being creative with challah bread is also lots of fun. We have made mermaids, hearts, and just interesting designs. My kids love it when we make something fun!
- Once Braided, mix the reserved egg white with 2 tablespoons water. Brush on the top of your bread dough then cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden and a tooth pick can be inserted and it feels cooked when you press it through, If it feels sticky still then continue baking.
Challah Bread
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg yoke save the egg white for the egg wash
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 4 1/2-5 cups flour
- 1 tablespoons water For egg wash
Instructions
- Mix yeast and water in a large mixing bowl and let it sit for a few minutes.
- Add the sugar to the mixture, followed by the salt, eggs and egg yoke, and vegetable oil.
- Next, add flour one cup at a time until dough comes together and can be formed into a ball. This dough is inherently sticky but it should stick together in a ball.
- Knead the dough for roughly 5 minutes with a mixer or 10 minutes by hand or until the dough is very elastic and smooth. We want a good gluten response for this bread.
- Let the dough rise in a greased bowl in a warm place for about 1 hour and 20 minutes or until dough is nearly doubled in size.
- Once the dough has risen, gently punch down the dough, but don't totally deflate the dough.
- Divide the dough into the amount of strains you want to have in your braid. In mine I had 7 strands. (Traditionally a Jewish Shabbat or sabbath bread, challah bread symbolically has a total of 12 strands, divided into a 6 strand braid on the bottom and a 6 strand braid laid directly on top. This represents the 12 tribes of Israel coming together, see beautiful right)
- For my loaves I usually do a 7 stranded braid. Where I weave the outer piece of dough through the other strands to the other side then grab the other sides outer piece which creates this slightly basket woven braid look. You can do whatever braid you feel comfortable with and being creative with challah bread is also lots of fun. We have made mermaids, hearts, and just interesting designs. My kids love it when we make something fun!
- Once Braided, mix the reserved egg white with 2 tablespoons water. Brush on the top of your bread dough then cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until tops are golden and a tooth pick can be inserted and it feels cooked when you press it through, If it feels sticky still then continue baking.