This challah is my base recipe. I’ve also made rosemary garlic challah, sweet(er) cinnamon challah, and extra cheese challah. They are all amazing. I prefer the plain version for every day, as it can go sweet or savory in how you eat it later. It’s fairly sweet on its own, which I adore, especially fresh out of the oven. The subtle sweetness of the bread is amazing as garlic cheesy toast with an egg on top for breakfast, not too sweet for French toast, and divine under any kind of spread. It’s pictured with my apple butter.

Everyday, All Day, Challah

I never get tired of this bread. It's moist, tender, chewy, and has a great tear. "Best French toast I've ever had," has been said. Best bread I've ever had, for sure. Eat it.

Servings 12 100 gram slices

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 40

Resting Time 4

Total Time 5 40

Equipment

Large bowl (for rising bread)
Cling wrap or damp kitchen towel
Clean work surface (for kneading and separating dough)
Bench scraper or knife
Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Stand Mixer fitted with dough hook (optional)
Food scale (optional)

Ingredients

7 grams active dry yeast
82 grams white granulated sugar 7 grams for activating yeast, 75 for bread
207 grams warm filtered water plus a Tablespoon for egg wash
55 grams olive oil plus more for greasing bowl
3 large eggs 2 for bread, 1 for egg wash
9 grams salt
500-580 grams all-purpose flour
coarse sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

In a large bowl for a stand mixer (or just a plain large bowl if doing by hand), dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm water, and let sit undisturbed for 15 minutes. It will be frothy with bubbles on top by the end.
In the meantime, whisk oil, eggs (first 2, not the 1 for the egg wash), remaining sugar (75 grams), and salt in a separate bowl.
After the yeast has sat for 15 minutes and is activated, add this oil/egg/sugar/salt mixture to the yeast mixture in the large bowl and gently whisk until combined.
Gradually add flour about a cup or 100 grams at a time on lowest stand mixer speed or by hand, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed to help it incorporate. If you are doing this by hand, you'll get a great workout.
Actual flour needed may vary, you have added enough when the dough sticks only to the bottom of the bowl and not the sides and is totally incorporated. When the dough holds together, it is ready for kneading.
Kneading in a stand mixer: use a dough hook on low speed (I recommend this unless you have crazy biceps, or really want crazy biceps).
Kneading by hand: turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
The dough will be stretchy when it's ready, and you can do the "window-pane test" to check, stretching it thin and holding it up to the light to see if you can see through without the dough tearing much or at all.
Clean out bowl and lightly grease it with olive oil (or use another bowl), then return dough to bowl. Too much oil will create unwanted folds in the dough later, so don't add too much.
Cover with cling wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to the very lowest setting, 150-175 degrees, then turned off.
After the first hour, deflate the dough by making four folds: grab an edge of the dough and gently stretch it up and over itself, repeating three times around the edges of your dough ball (I start with the bottom and go around, stretching from the 3, 6, 9, and 12 positions on a clock.)
Pick up your dough ball, and flip it over so the creases are on the bottom and the top is smooth. Cover again and let rise in your warm place for another 30 minutes.
Separate dough into evenly weighing halves with a bench scraper ideally, or knife (or do it by eye if you don't have a food scale), then divide those into quarters. For reference, my dough usually weighs a bit over 1000 grams, so each of my pieces ends up being around 260 grams. As long as they are all about the same, you're good.
Shaping can be done in many ways, I like to tuck the edges under each piece so the top is smooth. Then I'll form each piece as gently as I can into a ball, sliding it against my cutting board/butcher's board/clean countertop so that the bottom tucks in on itself and seals, creating tension on the smooth top.
Let these heavenly puffs rest for about 10-15 minutes under cling wrap or your moist towel (don't want a crust forming here).
Gently, without too much pressure, roll your balls into long, even strands, slightly tapered at the ends. If it's resisting you, let it rest for 5-10 more minutes, we don't want to tear the dough. Some stretching is okay, but try to keep them all relatively even with each other.
Roll the tips of the 4 strands together on one side, that'll be the top of your challah. when they are splayed in front of you, the strands are, from left to right, labeled 1, 2, 3, and 4. Every time you move one strand, the order resets, so you won't have to remember what strand was what, just count each time.
To start: 4 over 1, 2 over 4. You are basically taking the far right strand (4) and the far left strand (starts as 1, becomes 2 once you move the far right strand over), and switching them.
Now, we repeat this pattern until you run out of room:
1 over 2,
3 over 1;
4 over 3,
2 over 4
When you're out of room, combine all the strands and roll them together to combine, and tuck that little dough nub under your braided loaf, pressing it up into the loaf from below a bit. Repeat this tuck at the top.
Transfer your braid gently from your work surface to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Take your remaining egg and whisk it with a tablespoon of water, then brush that egg wash gently over your braid.
Let this glossy bad boy rise in your warm place for 2 hours. Feel free to brush it every 30 minutes with more egg wash, for glossy, glossy glory.
Take that bread OUT of the oven if it's your warm place, and preheat to 375F/190C. Brush it just one more time, because it's worth it, and sprinkle on some coarse sea salt.
When your oven is preheated, this baby gets baked at 325F/165C for 35-45 minutes, depending on how dark you like it and how hot your oven gets. No oven is perfect, so just keep an eye on it after about 30 minutes. I tend to like mine a bit doughier and lighter, and cook for about 36-38 minutes.
If you want to add some asiago cheese or something on top, add this when you have about 10-15 minutes left on your bake.
Cool this loaf on a cooling rack before serving. Just kidding, I've never managed this. Eat that sucker as soon as it won't burn your hands.
Do wait until it's cooled before storing, or your curst will get soggy. I store mine in a giant plastic ziploc (which I reuse), it lasts a good week before it's too stale for my tastes. Toward the middle and end of that week, you'll want to toast it with butter for optimal yum.

Notes

Alterations:

More sugar for even sweeter bread
Add grated cheese, herbs, spices to dough (ex: rosemary garlic)
Use tea water or other infused waters (ex: saffron)
Use garlic infused oil, other infused oils in dough
Add flavored salt, cinnamon sugar, or cheese to crust

Calories: 264kcal

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, Jewish

Keyword: Baked Goods, Bread, Challah, Vegetarian

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Everyday, All day, Challah