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EnrichedProtein-richintermediate

ChallahRecipe

Lightly enriched braided egg bread.

enrichedbraidedegg washpareve

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About this ratio

Challah is the braided egg bread of Jewish tradition: glossy and mahogany on the outside from an egg wash, soft and faintly sweet inside, with a tender pull-apart crumb that makes exceptional French toast the next day. It is enriched with eggs and oil but, unlike brioche, deliberately holds back on richness so it stays light enough to braid cleanly and tear by hand.

The defining choice is that challah is pareve — made with no dairy at all, so it can be served at a meal with either meat or milk under kosher dietary law. That is why the fat here is oil (10%) rather than butter, and why the liquid leans on eggs (25%) plus a modest 34% water. Total hydration reads low for an enriched bread, but the eggs and oil carry much of the real moisture; counting only the water undersells how soft the dough actually is. Sugar sits at 10% and can be swapped one-for-one for honey, which is traditional and adds a rounder sweetness and slightly deeper color.

The work of challah is the braid. A six-strand braid is the classic and the one documented here; it looks intimidating and is really just a repeating over-under pattern that becomes muscle memory after one loaf. Roll the strands even, keep them from drying as you work, and do not over-tighten — the braid needs room to swell during proof and bake. Two coats of egg wash, one before proofing and one just before baking, are what build that lacquered shine.

Beyond the braid the dough is forgiving and beginner-friendly to mix, which is why it lands at intermediate rather than advanced: the ratio is easy, the shaping is the skill.

At a glance

At its default setting, this Challah recipe makes one loaf of about 750g — about 750g of dough in total. In baker's percentage that breaks down to 410g Bread flour (100%), 139g Water (34%), 103g Eggs (25%), 41g Neutral oil (10%), 41g Sugar (or honey) (10%), 7.4g Salt (1.8%), and 8.2g Instant yeast (2%). Change the loaves or enter a target dough weight in the calculator and every amount rescales to match, in grams or ounces.

Calorie-conscious

Switch to scale a leaner version of this recipe — the same bread with fats and sugar pulled to their lowest sensible amounts. The calculator, ingredients, and nutrition all update to the lean formula.

Make

1loaf

Display unit

Eggs display

By count for cartons of whole eggs; by weight for liquid egg or precision baking.

Total dough

750g

  • 410gBread flour100% baker's
  • 139gWater34% baker's
  • 2 largeEggs≈ 103g25% baker's
  • 41gNeutral oil10% baker's
  • 41gSugar (or honey)10% baker's
  • 7.4gSalt1.8% baker's
  • 8.2gInstant yeast2% baker's

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Step-by-step method

How to bake this Challah

A lightly enriched egg dough braided into challah's signature six-strand loaf. The eggs give it a yellow crumb and tender bite; the honey-water glaze plus an egg wash give it the mahogany shine. The braid takes practice. Three-strand is fine if you're starting out. Yeast note: at challah's sugar level (~10%) regular instant works, but osmotolerant yeast (SAF Gold) ferments more reliably in any dough with >10% sugar — substitute 1:1 if you have it.

01

Mix

15 minutesroom temperature
  1. 1.Combine flour, eggs, warm water (~80°F / 27°C), oil, sugar, salt, yeast, and honey in a stand-mixer bowl. Mix on low with a dough hook for 4 minutes, then medium for 8 minutes.
  2. 2.The dough should be smooth, slightly tacky, and pass a stretchable .
  3. 3.By hand: knead 12 minutes on a lightly oiled counter. The eggs and oil make it slack at first; it firms up as the gluten develops.
02

Bulk fermentation

90–120 minutes78°F / 25.5°C
  1. 1.Cover in an oiled bowl and let rise until doubled.
  2. 2.Punch down gently and let it rest 5 minutes before shaping. This makes the strands easier to roll out.
03

Shape

20 minutesroom temperature
  1. 1.Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces (or 3 for an easier braid).
  2. 2.Roll each piece into a 14-inch rope, slightly tapered at the ends.
  3. 3.Pinch the tops together. For 6 strands: arrange three over three, then sequentially move the outermost strands toward the middle until you reach the bottom. Search "6-strand challah braid" for a video. It goes faster than it reads.
  4. 4.Tuck the ends under, lift onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.

A three-strand braid (classic challah) tastes identical and is far easier. Don't let the braid intimidate you out of making this.

04

Final proof

45–60 minutes78°F / 25.5°C
  1. 1.Cover loosely with plastic or a towel. Let proof until visibly puffy and the dough springs back slowly when poked.
  2. 2.Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C during the last 30 minutes.
  3. 3.Brush gently and thoroughly with egg wash (1 whole egg + 1 tbsp water + pinch of salt).
05

Bake

30–35 minutes375°F / 190°C
  1. 1.Bake until deeply mahogany and the internal temperature reaches 200°F / 93°C. Enriched challah needs a higher finish than lean breads — 190°F can register undercooked because the eggs and oil slow heat transfer.
  2. 2.Tent with foil if the top is browning too quickly (it will. Eggs and sugar caramelize fast).
  3. 3.Cool on a rack at least 30 minutes before slicing. The crumb finishes setting as it cools.

Frequently asked

Questions about this recipe.

  • How do I scale this Challah recipe to make more or fewer loaves?

    Use the calculator on this page. Adjust the output count or per-loaf weight; every ingredient amount updates automatically. You can also enter a total dough weight and the calculator works backwards. The Challah recipe is written in baker's percentages, so it scales proportionally without changing the bread's character.

More general questions about ratios, hydration, and the calculator on the FAQ page.

Background concepts

More Enriched breads