LOL – not to blame your 4-year-old helper, but I do know that I had plenty of “help” from my kids when they were little and sometimes, something would get missed/mis-measured. Add eggs; beat 1 minute. So glad you like the recipes! (Note that the loaf will continue to rise a bit in the oven.) Thanks! I hope to have the same wonderful texture when I convert this to a braided round challah (or just round challah) for Rosh Hashana. Would this make a difference? Did you let it go longer than 1.5 to 2 hours with the second rise? You could also use sugar. Next time I’d reduce the water just a bit. I did not have any instant yeast, so I used the active dry yeast I had and dissolved it in the lukewarm water, then mixed it with the other wet ingredients. I think this bread could benefit from some sort of flavor – just my thought. Thank you so much! hi Biff, Just until it forms a smooth ball — less than a minute. I think I will make 2 small loaves next week as there are only 2 of us and I can freeze one or give away. My Newsletter We love all your recipes. I don’t recommend bread flour for challah — if you used it, that would definitely explain the difference in the dough. Thank you for such a prompt reply and Happy New Year to you, as well! Homemade French Bread – made with pantry staples; Easy Banana Bread – classic quick bread recipe! Hi Donna, 2 1/4 teaspoons dry active, instant, or rapid-rise yeast granules (usually one 1/4-ounce packet) = 2/3 ounce fresh yeast So, I think it will work, but the timing will be a bit different. Yes, I’d do a 1:1 substitution so you’ll need 75 grams of sugar. As I said after many youtube videos, a lot of sweating, and basically after some magic I finally managed to braid this bread. . Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a rack to cool. Thanks so much for the recipe!! Can I substitute silan for the honey? We usually proof our yeast before adding it to the dry ingredients; would we get a better rise if we proof it, or should we follow your recipe(we are using rapid rise yeast). Thank you. Also, did you let it rise for the amount of time specified in the recipe? This recipe makes the perfect loaf of Challah! Hello! I use King Arthur for all my baking so if you can find that, I recommend it for best results. Kneading and braiding the dough, smelling the challah baking in the oven—it really is satisfying. Fantastic results! I'm excited to bring you all a taste of each corner of the earth, every last bite seasoned to perfection and served up with love - from my kitchen to yours. First, the braids sort of blobbed together, they didn’t stay separate. I made this earlier this morning and WOW! Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @onceuponachef. I’ve been playing around with different braiding styles too. This is an amazing challah recipe! I made this recipe today and baked the bread in two loaf pans for 25 minutes. If the ropes shrink a bit, just work them back into their original length. So glad I found your site. The shape is not great as we needed to roll our long section tighter and then it would have braided tighter. Thank you. I have a question – can I omit the honey to sugar? I made it with a combination of all purpose, whole wheat, and oat flours, and sprinkled sesame seeds on the top. Carefully transfer the braided loaf to a parchment-lined 13 x 18-inch baking sheet. Is there an error? Will definitely recommend it to my friends to try out! If so, how long would I bake them for? Three quarter loaf gone in 15 min. Thank you for sharing your amazing recipes and your step by step instructions, very much appreciated. Baking time may be slightly less so keep a close eye on them. Author: Dahlia Abraham-Klein Publish date: Apr 14, 2015. Instant yeast is the way to go! No matter what household we have all grown up in, there is something that has brought us all together here and that is a love and appreciation of food. Hope you enjoy! My question is why did it seem to spread out and not high? Hi Jenn – if I use half whole wheat flour, do I need to change anything else? Can I use non-rapid rise yeast? If you’re able to do the math, 2/3 of the recipe would be perfect. In addition to the butter, you will need all-purpose flour, water, salt, honey, and Gold SAF instant yeast. One month later of solid use of your site and I stumble on this …I used to make challah for my family as a girl, but it’s been years! I had never baked yeast breads before, but recently, it has been a regular Friday thing. To be safe, I’d add the yeast and salt to the warm water and let it sit for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the remainder of the recipe. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Thanks. I was worried it would be dry because I wasn’t using KAF. Place the dough in the bowl, flip it over once so the top is lightly oiled, and then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. I’m not giving up, and thanks for all the amazing pics! I let it rise outside because it was warm in my apartment. Instagram. Dry yeast is widely available and sold in large packets. Can you substitute agave? Invert the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and dust with flour. I use my breadmaker to knead x 20 minutes, rest x 1 hour, punch down, rest x 1 hour. Perfect texture and flavor. I just half it down the middle, but how would I half the egg yolk? Hi Caron and Darcy, sorry to hear you had some problems with the challah! However, you can do other things to enrich the flavor. I can’t stop making this bread! I’m going to try again! At the end of two hours in the bread machine, the dough was easy to work with and I was surprised how easy it was to braid the bread thanks to the detailed instructions. Take the strand furthest to the right and repeat the weaving pattern again: over, under, over. Worth every minute of raising time! It looks so beautiful, I could not stop taking pictures of it. Thanks so much. We’ve always gotten store-bought challah but this was way better and the 4-braid gave it a really nice appearance. If you have leftovers, use it to make Challah French Toast,  Baked Apple French Toast, or Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding. I never imagined that I would be able to make challah, but your recipe was amazing! I have also used whole grain bread flour, and whole grain flour. It looks like a photo and the smell is intoxicating. If you’re mixing the challah dough by hand, it may look a bit different than my pictures but it shouldn’t impact the results. Worked great! It was soft and better than anything I’ve ever bought. (Note: If you like, sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds onto the challah before putting it in the oven.) I’ve never made challah and am so excited to try this since I have trust in ALL of your recipes! Any recommendations as to how to modify the recipe? Makes measuring just easier and consistent. When you say knead in mixer on “medium low”, with a Kitchen Aid mixer, would that mean 2 or 4? Hi Elizabeth, no need to make any adjustments if using half whole wheat flour. (I made it yesterday, and it has disappeared FAST.). I recently purchased a stand mixer and had no idea bread making would be so easy. I’m thinking of making the challah tomorrow, but I don’t have enough honey in my house! What If I only have a hand mixer? Easy to follow instructions and sooo delicious. Hi Teresia, I’m not sure what kind of problems you’re experiencing as he blog is programmed to be mobile-friendly. The loaves turned out amazingly well. I didn’t have a stand mixer so I made it by hand and it turned out AMAZING!! So glad you liked it! I’ll definitely be making this one again. . Even my very critical husband approved of this one. I followed your step by step instructions and the results were gorgeous. That said, even if your dough is not sticky, it should still be fine; you’ll just need to add less flour when kneading by hand. Hi Hannah, I wasn’t familiar with silan (I just Googled it and read about it). After the first use, seal and store in a glass jar in the freezer. What about bread flour? While challah is soft, I wouldn’t describe it as light, so I suspect you didn’t do anything wrong. Is there a way to make this for Rosh Hashanah as a round challah? I use extra-virgin olive oil in my challah. I would like to make the dough in the evening (put the dough in the fridge)and then in the morning braid the dough and make the challah with my grandkids. All the stores are sold out during this crazy time. VIEW ROSANNA PANSINO’S RECIPES → baking basics. I’d add the yeast and salt to the warm water and let it sit for about 10 minutes before proceeding with the remainder of the recipe. This challah turned out like a masterpiece. Not a stupid question at all! Hi Mary, There is a little button in the top right corner of the recipe that allows you to toggle between metric and cup measures. The only thing I added was the “everything bagel spice mix” on the top to give it some flavor. This was my first challah and it was perfect! Hope that helps! I think that the “wetter” dough makes all the difference. In the mixing bowl of a mixer, add the yeast mixture, the eggs, vegetable oil, salt and honey. It’s a rich, slightly sweet loaf with a shiny, golden crust and pillowy-soft interior. How long should I knead the dough? If using dry, instant yeast , simply add it to ... oats, black and white sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds. I baked them in my Wolf convection steam oven on the auto steam bake setting at 350. This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. That can sometimes cause the bread to deflate a little as it bakes. My fault – I didn’t read the recipe instructions closely enough, and didn’t realize the recipe called for all-purpose flour. How long do I knead the dough by hand after removing it from the mixer? I made your recipe for Challah for the first time two days ago. It will deflate. I made it work with active dry yeast dissolved in water before I added it, and I replaced all purpose flour with bread flour. B First time making challah and it turned out great! This was good, if a bit bland. The dough didn’t rise incredibly high either time, but did rise in the oven to my delight. I didn’t have vegetable oil so I substituted for 3 tbsp of canola oil and 3 tbsp of margarine. I use the light setting on my bread machine. Keep in mind that when baking yeast breads, rising times are only a guide. So consistently delicious. See more information here. I make the crusty artisan bread regularly, my family loves it! It looks good but not as full as the pictures. I have what feels like dozens of roll recipes … Hi Jenn, Can you make this Gluten Free? As a revision to my earlier comments, I found the reviews! I did use bread machine flour for this recipe. Place dough in lightly oiled … Did you check the internal temperature to make sure it was between 190°F and 200°F on an instant-read thermometer before removing it from the oven? Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a rack to cool. After I baked them for about 35 minutes,  look what happened: If you guys love this recipe, and most importantly make it yourselves, please let us know. Hi I made you challah in New Orleans snd it was great. I added a few more Tbsps of honey, we like it sweet. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes and ideas with your readers! Perfect for French toast or bread pudding the next day. The dough was never wet for me or sticky. Second, while it tastes really yummy, it seems kind of crumbly instead of pillowy. The dough was very dry when I put it in the proof oven. My oven has a Proof mode so I took advantage of this and saved a little time with the proofing. So happy that I finally did this. I had never tried to make homemade bread before other than biscuits. Bread Machine White Bread Pizza Dough Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread view all. Begin by taking the strand farthest to the right and weave it toward the left through the other strands using this pattern: over, under, over. My oldest son said this was great, since he likes bigger slices However, I would have liked a tighter loaf. Yes, it will need to rise for 2 to 3 hours after you’ve made the dough. Mix the warm water, oil, honey, eggs and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add a large pinch of sugar. Enjoy! My dough was not at all sticky – just nice and soft – light dusting to knead after Mixer – just 1 minute light kneading. How can I make this recipe with fresh yeast? Hope that clarifies! (And so glad you like the recipes!) I followed this advice and then got tied up with something else. Always check the expiration date on your yeast and make sure it hasn’t expired. Baking this, and figuring out the braiding was such a lovely way to get back to some sense of normalcy. Hi Kristina, Either will work, but I’d recommend SAF (which I think is ideal for challah and all other sweet bread dough). I used King Arthur bread flour on the loaf I made, and it turned out great! Would prefer to hear if anyone has tried this instead of potentially wasting a beautiful challah. So if you don’t bake often, buy the smaller yeast packages rather than a big jar of yeast. But if you dissolve the yeast in liquid, the dough will rise a bit faster. This might be a stupid question but can I bake this in a round shape? Did I mention my numerous yeast breads fails in the past? This easy challah bread recipe and tutorial is all you need to make that perfectly fluffy, braided loaf enriched with eggs and topped with sesame seeds. Shabbat Challah Rating: Unrated 102 My Shabbat Challah is something out of this world. Thank you again for sharing your recipes with home cooks like me. Do you use the spoon and level method to measure the flour? Not hard to do at all and it turns out nicely. Let the yeast activate for about 5-8 minutes. I have made challah many times using many different recipes. I plan on making it again but with all-purpose flour. I’ve been making this recipe weekly since March and without fail it’s a major hit with family and friends. Begin by taking the strand farthest to the right and weave it toward the left through the other strands using this pattern: over, under, over. Make it whole wheat: While challah made with 100% whole wheat flour will be heavier than that made with all-purpose flour, it will still be soft and delicious. Thanks. If you don’t own the cookbook and want the recipe, let me know and I can email you with it. I’ve been making it every Friday since March and have been able to share with numerous friends and family who have all LOVED it. Any chance you can add weights for measurements? Trust me, it may seem like a lot of work, but when you see that beauty come out of the oven, it is all worth it. Hope that helps and that you enjoy the challah! I take it that means you do the first rise of dough.Shape the bread ,do the second rise of 1.5 to 2 hours then put in fridge overnight and give it another hour when you take it out , correct ? Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? this recipe looks pretty similar to mine. BREAD & ROLLS Parker House Rolls No-Knead White Bread Homemade Cinnamon Rolls view all. This is the best and I made this with baked bourbon with praline topping. Thanks Rose , So glad you like this, Rose! , Hi. Do you have any experience with adding the ADY directly to the flour in this recipe? I took it out at 30 mins and it was only 180, 5 more mins and it was perfect inside and out! savory dishes Polish Dog on a Stick Ham & Egg Breakfast Bake Hearty Chicken Pot Pie view all. Read more…, Plus free email series "5 of a Classically Trained Chef", From Shortbread to Ginger Spice: 24 Holiday Cookie Recipes, This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google. I followed this recipe exactly and my dough was beyond wet/sticky (and yes I did have faith as the instructions suggested). Challah came out nice. My first time making challah bread and it turned out amazing! Hello jenn, Made the bread today came out excellent Added raisins and it tasted good Thank u Raman, Hello jenn, Made the bread today came out excellent very easy to make my daughters loved it I added a little raisins which tasted good. Your recipe says that it will be very wet, so clearly something went wrong. Hi! So delicious! I amazed my husband and son. Always make sure you check this date, even when you purchase the yeast, who knows it could have been on the shelf past its expiry date. It was fun – Celeste. You’re recipes are so full-proof that I used this one for my first time entertaining two guests who are real “foodies”! Hi Jenn, We are following your recipe but we live in houston where the humidity is high. And they were both great size! Would it be heresy to add raisins to this dough? One thing to remember about your yeast, is that it is a living organism and over time it will lose activity, even if you’ve never opened the jar or package. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. I’m trying to find a theme or plugin that might be able to correct this issue. Thank you, Nanci, for all the pointers! 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