Easy Challah Recipe

all-purpose flour

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: bread flour

Whole wheat flour adds fiber and nutrients.

honey

🥗Healthier: agave syrup

💰Cheaper: corn syrup

Agave syrup is lower on the glycemic index.

vegetable oil

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Olive oil provides healthy fats.

eggs

🥗Healthier: flaxseed meal

💰Cheaper: egg replacer

Flaxseed meal is a vegan alternative.

Separate one of the eggs, placing the yolk into a large bowl and the white into a small bowl.

In the large bowl with the egg yolk add the other 2 eggs, 1 cup lukewarm water, and the vegetable oil and whisk together until combined.

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt, then use the dough hook to mix the ingredients together until just combined.

Add in the wet ingredients and continue mixing on low for 5 to 7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the mixer.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a large lightly greased bowl.

Cover it with plastic wrap and place it somewhere warm and draft-free and allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 ½ to 2 hours.

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut it into 3 equal parts, then stretch and roll each piece gently into ropes about 16 inches long.

Lay the ropes vertically and pinch them together at the top.

Braid the strands together as if you were braiding hair, and when you reach the bottom of the dough pinch the ends tightly together.

Place the bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Cover the baking sheet loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise for another hour, until the dough is about 1 ½ times larger and looks puffed and pillowy.

When there are about 10 minutes of rising time left, preheat the oven to 350 F.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of water to the bowl with the egg white and whisk together.

Brush the egg white wash all over the challah.

Bake the bread in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the challah is golden brown and the internal temperature reads between 190 F and 200 F on an instant-read thermometer.

Let the challah cool on a cooling rack, then serve.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens