What's wonderful about challah is that it can be used in so many ways: to sanctify the Sabbath, of course, but just as important, to make French toast, grilled cheese, and croutons and as breading in meatballs. Maybe not the way God intended it, but I'm sure She understands. Israel is the land of milk and honey, and this challah has both. For those of you who want to stay away from milk, it's fine to substitute water.
Ingredients
Makes 4 loaves
Step 1
1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan over low heat just until it's warm to the touch. Remove from the heat.
Step 2
2. Dump the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yeast to the well along with a few drops of honey and 1/2 cup or so of the warm milk. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes.
Step 3
3. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining milk and honey, the oil, and 3 of the eggs. Stir together. Add the salt and stir again. Gradually stir the liquid mixture into the flour, about 1/2 cup at a time. When the dough becomes sticky and difficult to stir, dump onto a floured surface and knead it by hand, adding a little more flour if necessary to keep it from sticking, until smooth and elastic.
Step 4
4. Knead the dough into a ball. Slick another large bowl with oil, add the dough, and turn to slick the surface with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place until double in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Step 5
5. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Gently punch the dough down and turn it onto a floured surface. Divide the dough into four equal portions, working with one portion at a time and keeping the rest covered with a damp cloth. Divide one portion of dough into three equal pieces and roll each piece into a rope about 1 foot long and slightly tapered at the ends. Line the ropes side by side on one side of the baking sheet and braid them, pinching the ends to seal and tucking them underneath. Repeat this process with the remaining dough until you have four nicely braided loaves. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand until nearly double in size, another 25 minutes or so.
Step 6
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 7
7. Lightly beat the remaining egg and brush it over the tops of the challah loaves. Sprinkle with the nigella or sesame seeds. Bake the loaves until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
Leave a Review
Reviews (13)
Back to Topthis recipe always ends up very good but in my experience i usually have to add a lot more flour than the recipe calls for. Another tip: (not necessary) do 3 rounds of rising, one for 30 minutes then punch it down, one for an hour then punch it down, one overnight in the fridge then kneed and bake it. this usually results in a more light and fluffy texture but i know that is not how everyone likes it.
Anonymous
foodland
12/23/2021
Please note that nigella seeds are seeds of black cumin, and are not synonymous with black sesame seeds, which are sesame seeds that are black, and taste like sesame seeds. Nigella do not taste like sesame seed.
SuzyQDetroit
3/16/2021
This was perfect! I made a couple of adjustments based on reviews: - replaced approx 2 cups of the all-purpose with bread flour - did a second rise overnight in the fridge to develop good flavour - did 2 large loaves with a 6-braid Better than any challah I have ever gotten from a bakery!
accmplce
Baltimore, ON
5/24/2020
Tried this yesterday and I love it! I have tried a couple of challah recipes before and they were successful, but using milk and honey/sugar changed the flavour significantly over water. I also used a stick (half cup) of melted butter in place of the oil and it worked beautifully. The loaves have a nice colour and the texture has a nice chew to it. For people who find it hard to proof yeast in milk, I heated 2 cups of whole milk and proofed the yeast in a half cup of water. I also put all the liquids in my stand mixer bowl and added the flour. I like being able to control the flour that way. ;-) I used about 2/3 cup extra which is probably because of the added fat. My only issue with making challah in general has been the darkening of the bottom crust. Other recipes make 2 giant loaves and I suppose the longer baking time adds to the problem. This recipe was a notable improvement in that area but still could use some attention.
renwrite69
Montreal, Canada
4/18/2019
This is easy to make and tastes great. I also used a 6 strand braid which gave it a great shape. I glazed it with an egg/honey wash.
Anonymous
Atlanta
9/10/2018
我做了这个黄金葡萄干和甜面包crumb topping and shaped in a six strand braid in a round. It turned out beautiful!!! The prettiest bread I have ever made. Can't wait to share it with friends!
Cassie78
9/21/2017
Easy, tasty and pretty! I halved the recipe and used 1 cup whole wheat flour, added 2 eggs (b/c getting 1 1/2 seemed hard), added a tad more honey, and used just the egg yolk for the glaze. It turned out beautifully. Even with just a cup of whole wheat flour, it tasted healthy yet wasn't dense or dry. Definitely making this again!
aihanguyen
Los Angeles, CA
1/25/2017
I've just taken them out of the oven and I'm in love! They look so beautiful with the braid, and taste just sweet enough. Mine are a little dense, but I think that's more to do with my beginning baker abilities and less with the recipe :) The color is beautiful, and I think these will be a big hit for pre-Easter brunch!
bwsteele
San Francisco, Ca
3/22/2016
This was the first time I've ever tried and made challah, and I think it turned out pretty good! My friend and I made this using what we had on hand, which was exactly the same, minus the sesame seeds and we used 2% milk instead of whole. All in all, it was great!
cbaker2
San Francisco, CA
10/29/2015
如果一个人想要的面包比耐嚼,更软use only egg yolks. It also gives a nice golden color. : )
i_fortuna
Texas
9/9/2015
This was super quick and easy to make! I halved the recipe and did use whole milk. Came out nicely soft and chewy. I made one as per directions and folded about 1/3 cup of marmalade into the other before braiding - I think a bit more marmalade might have helped for this sort of a variation, maybe 1/2-3/4 c for one loaf.
maobi104
Miami, FL
10/5/2014
I halved the recipe because I can't handle 4 loaves of bread myself! I also made this with what I had on hand: 1 cup of fat free milk & 1/4 cup water, white sugar (I used a little honey for the yeast) and black sesame seeds. I figured since I lost some moisture not using honey I used 2 eggs (not a problem). Instead of kneading by hand (weak wrists!) I used my mixer and kneaded it for about 5-8 minutes. At first I thought making the individual braid pieces were too short so I made one loaf with pieces about 18 inches long, and the other loaf 12 inches long. Definitely stick to 12 inches even though you will only be able to braid it a couple of times. It comes out much more puffy and beautiful. The 18 inch braid came out very nicely too, texture was unaffected but it also baked more quickly than the fatty. This bread is SOOO simply delicious. I am going to use the leftovers to make her coconut french toast tomorrow.
cvng6
new york, ny
9/27/2014
I've tried many challah recipes now (some I've used more than once too), including some variations on whole wheat, traditional, half-wheat, etc. That said, THIS ONE will now be my go-to challah recipe when I just want a traditional, delicious challah loaf! I made this as written (including kneading my hand) with milk -- only difference was I didn't have enough honey (oops), so I did half honey, half brown sugar (I also didn't have white sugar on hand, sigh). But despite this, it came out SO GOOD. Soft and rich, but still so light. I did have to proof for about half an hour longer than the recipe states, but that wasn't a big deal. I judge when a challah is ready for baking by poking it lightly with my ring finger. If it doesn't bounce back, I know it's good to go. With this recipe, I made 3 long loaves (as pictured) and one circular braided one. I also only used sesame seeds on one of them, and it is great both plain and with seeds.
amykelinda
Seattle, WA
5/1/2014
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