This challah is perfection: golden-crusted with a light, airy crumb. My friend, Holly, learned this recipe from the wife of a rabbi, and one day she taught me how to make it. I am forever grateful because it’s so delicious, so easy, and every time I make it, my children think I’m a hero. Also: It makes the BEST French toast.

Freshly baked Challah on a board.

When my friend Holly, one of the most reliable cooks I know, told me she had a great challah recipe, one she learned from a wife of a rabbi, and offered to show me how to make it, I nearly leapt into her arms.

Shortly thereafter on a Friday morning, after dropping the kids off at school, I joined Holly at her house for coffee and a challah lesson. When I arrived, Holly had already made the sponges — 1 cup water, 1 cup flour, 1 packet yeast — which looked alive and ready for action. This is her Friday ritual: make the sponge before dropping her kids off at school; finish the process when she returns.

What I loved about Holly’s challah recipe and process is that it is so simple, so unfussy, so unlike the challah I had been making.

Into each bowl we cracked two eggs, then added the honey, salt, oil and finally the remaining flour. After a brief kneading by hand, the dough was ready to rise. At this point I left, bowl of dough in hand, and completed the process on my own, guidance provided by Holly via text.

The dough rose beautifully and baked into a perfectly golden, light and airy, tangle of braids. Nearly every week since, I have made Holly’s challah, a treat aside any soup (lots of this one and this one these days), a treasure for weekend brunch.

Incidentally, while I was in VT for Thanksgiving, my aunt mentioned she had made a breakthrough with her koulourakia (a twisted Greek cookie): after burning the bottom of several batches, she layered one cookie sheet on top of another, which provided enough insulation to prevent the bottoms from burning. Genius! The conversation immediately made me think of my challah-making trials, a burnt underside almost always a constant.

And so, the day after Thanksgiving, I made a loaf of Holly’s challah for my family, baked the bread on two layers of sheetpans, and for the first time, the bottom of my challah cooked evenly without the slightest sign of overbrowning — a miracle! The Greeks raved! The abstemious indulged! What can I say, Holly’s challah makes me wanna holla holla!

PS: Overnight Refrigerator Focaccia = The Best Focaccia

A cutting board with a loaf of challah bread on top.

This is what the sponge — 1 cup water, 1 cup flour, 1 packet yeast — looks like after about an hour:

A mixing bowl with a challah bread dough sponge in it.

Then, you add the eggs, honey, salt and oil right into the bowl:

adding the honey and eggs to the sponge for the challah bread dough

Work in the flour:

adding the flour to the sponge for the challah bread dough

Mix until sticky:

mixing the challah bread dough into a sticky mass

Knead briefly until smooth:

kneaded challah bread dough on a board

Transfer to an oiled bowl to rise:

A bowl of challah bread dough in a bowl, ready to rise.

Then wait an hour or two:

A bowl of challah bread dough, risen.

I made a double batch this time, so I divided the dough into 8 portions:

Dividing the challah bread dough into portions.

But with a single batch, divide the dough into three or four portions. Be sure to have a helper by your side:

Wren, on the table, helping with the challah bread dough.
Challah bread dough balls all balled up.

Time to shape! Here’s a quick video on how to shape a round loaf of challah.

And the basic steps:

shaping round challah bread, step 1
shaping round challah bread, step 2
shaping round challah bread, step 3
An egg washed round challah bread and ready for the oven.
An egg-washed circle challah bread on sheet pan.
A braided challah bread, ready for oven.

Holly’s is much prettier:

Holly's challah bread on a sheet pan, ready for the oven.
Just-baked challah bread on a sheet pan.

I actually prefer the shape of the more traditional 3 or 4 braid challah for purposes of toast and French toast, but the circular shape is so pretty.

A challah bread round on a cooling rack.

Baking the challah on two sheet pans prevents a burnt bottom:

The under side of a baked loaf of challah bread.

This is day-old challah:

Day-old challah bread, halved.

The benefit of making a double batch?

Bagged challah bread.

French toast of course.

Day-old challah bread sliced for French toast.

I like to dry out slices overnight:

A cooling rack holding sliced day old challah bread.

And I love the Tartine recipe, which calls for lots of lemon zest and no cinnamon, but traditional pan-fried recipes work just fine, too. I bet the overnight method would be delicious with challah, too. 

Soaking challah bread in custard in preparation for French toast.
Challah bread french toast in a skillet
Freshly baked Challah on a board.
Sliced challah on a board.
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Holly’s Challah Bread Recipe

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Description

I learned this recipe from my friend, Holly, who calls it Jennifer’s Challah.

The recipe doubles well. Bread keeps well in a ziplock bag on the counter for several days, and it freezes well, too.

A few notes:

  • You can use at least one cup of whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour. (Holly always does.)
  • To create lukewarm water: use ¼ cup boiling water and ¾ cup cold water, which will give you perfect lukewarm water.
  • To create a warm place for your bread to rise: Heat your oven for 1 minute, then shut it off. It doesn’t matter what temperature you set it to when you heat it; the key is to only allow it to heat for 1 minute. This brief blast of heat will create a cozy, draft-free spot for your bread to rise.
  • A double egg wash creates a beautifully golden and shiny finish to the challah.
  • Baking on two sheet pans prevents the bottom of the challah from burning.
  • As for shaping, there are lots of resources on youtube. I included one video below for making the entire challah, and a quick gif at the very start of the post, which shows how to shape the round challah.

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 cups (510 g to 620 g) all-purpose or bread flour
  • 1 package or 2¼ teaspoons (8 g) instant yeast
  • 1 cup (236 g) lukewarm water (made by mixing 1/4 cup boiling water and ¾ cup cold water)
  • 1 tablespoon (10 g) kosher salt
  • ¼ cup (84 g) honey
  • ½ cup (112 g) safflower oil or other neutral oil (canola, grapeseed, etc.)
  • 2 eggs

Egg wash:

  • 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
  • poppy seeds, optional

Instructions

  1. Make the sponge: Whisk one cup (128 g) of the flour with the yeast and stir in the lukewarm water until the sponge is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel and let rise about 45 minutes or until puffy and bubbly.
  2. Directly into the bowl, add the salt, honey, oil and eggs. Stir with a spatula or spoon until well mixed, then add the remaining three cups (384 g) of flour. Stir with a spoon until dough forms a sticky mass. Add a bit more flour, and use your hands to knead briefly in the bowl; then turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and knead for a minute or two, until the dough becomes smooth. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with dish towel or plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, one to two hours or longer depending on the temperature of your kitchen. (Note: you can make the dough to this point, punch it down, and stash it in the refrigerator overnight).
  3. Punch down and divide into three or four parts, depending on what shape you want to make. Roll each portion into a ball. Let rest 10-15 minutes. Roll each ball into long ropes (at least 12 inches in length for the 4-braided challah) and braid into desired shape (see notes above or check youtube). Brush with egg wash.
  4. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Let the loaf rise on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet, about 30 minutes. Place another baking sheet underneath it — this will help insulate the bottom and keep it from burning.
  5. Brush one more time with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds if you like. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, checking after 40 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Category: Bread
  • Method: Yeast-Risen
  • Cuisine: Jewish