The Best Traditional Braided Challah Bread Recipe Ever!

Looking for the best traditional braided Challah bread recipe? This is a good one to start with! Challah is a traditional Jewish bread with Eastern European origins, often served on Shabbat (Sabbath) and Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah and Rosh Hashanah. 

If you enjoy making bread at home, my Brioche Buns are another recipe worth trying. Keep reading because I've broken down the four-strand braid and included a few things that make the dough in this Challah recipe much easier to handle.

Jump to:

• Video Instructions
• Try This Traditional Braided Challah Bread
• Why You’ll Love It
• Ingredients
• How to Make Traditional Braided Challah Bread
• Recipe Tips
• What Can You Serve With This?
• FAQs
• Recipe

Video Instructions

Try This Traditional Braided Challah Bread

The dough is made with eggs and olive oil rather than butter and milk, with honey, orange juice, and vanilla adding a little sweetness and extra flavor. It takes some time because of the rising, but most of that is hands-off, and, in my opinion, it is what makes this the best challah bread recipe ever!

I also wouldn't skip the overnight rise unless I was short on time. The dough is quite soft and a little tacky, and chilling it makes a big difference when I'm trying to roll four even strands. 

Why You’ll Love It

• You can do most of the waiting overnight: I like recipes where the fridge can take over for a while. The dough rises for 8-12 hours overnight, so you can come back to it the next day rather than spending the whole day waiting on bread.
• The braid isn't as difficult as it looks: Four strands can seem like a lot at first. The pattern is the same all the way through, though, so once you've done the first few crosses, it gets much easier.
• It stays soft: Eggs and olive oil give this bread a soft crumb without using butter or milk. I also like that it still has some chew instead of feeling like cake.
• You can change the flavor: The basic loaf is only lightly sweet, but you can add raisins, chocolate chips, Kosher salt, cinnamon, sesame seeds, or poppy seeds depending on what you want.
• Leftovers don't go to waste: Challah makes really good French toast, so I'm never too worried if there are a few slices left the next day.

Ingredients

• Bread flour: I use bread flour because I prefer the slightly chewier texture it gives the loaf. You can use all-purpose flour, but you may need another 1-2 tablespoons because it doesn't absorb quite as much liquid.
• Eggs: There are three large eggs in the dough, and they're a big part of the soft texture and richer crumb. This is an enriched dough, so the eggs are doing more than just adding moisture.
• Olive oil: Since there isn't any butter in challah, I don't use a completely flavorless oil if I can help it. A good olive oil gives the bread a little more flavor and also keeps the crumb soft.
• Honey: Three tablespoons give the bread some sweetness without making it a very sweet loaf. I prefer the extra flavor honey adds, but you can substitute sugar 1:1 if that's what you have.

How to Make Traditional Braided Challah Bread

1. In a large bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, salt, yeast, vanilla, eggs, olive oil, orange juice, and honey, and knead on low speed until it comes together. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through. Let rest for 20-30 minutes.

2. Knead the yeast mixture on high speed with a dough hook until the dough is smooth, releases from the sides of the bowl, and passes the windowpane test. It's a soft, heavy, and smooth dough that is slightly tacky to the touch.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container; lightly oil the top of the dough as well. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours until it has doubled. Then put it in the refrigerator and let it rest overnight, about 8-12 hours. It will continue to grow until it has about tripled.

4. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Remove the dough from the container with a dough scraper and place it on a very lightly oiled work surface. Roughly shape the dough ball into a square and divide it into 4 equal pieces. 

5. Apply a little Canola oil to your fingers, place one piece of dough on the lightly oiled work surface in front of you, and use your fingers to flatten it into an 8x13-inch (20x33cm) rectangle that is about ¼-inch thick.

6. Starting from one long side, roll up the dough tightly and seal the edges by pinching them together with your fingertips. Then use your hands to roll the dough into a 15-inch (38cm) long rope. Repeat with the other three pieces of dough.

7. Place all 4 strands side by side and pinch the top of the 4 strands together.

8. To simplify the following explanation, let's number the 4 strands. We're going to use numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. The leftmost strand is 1, and the rightmost strand is 4. Now take strand number 4 and cross it over strand 3, then under strand 2 and over strand 1. So you basically wove strand number 4 into the others from right to left by going over strand 3, under strand 2, and over strand 1.

9. Start again with the rightmost strand and cross it over, under, and over the other 3 strands from right to left. Continue until all of the bread is braided.

10. Pinch the ends together and tuck the tip under it so it has a nice shape. Then open the top of the loaf where you initially pinched all 4 strands and braid it just like the other end of the loaf to get two nicely braided ends.

11. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and let rest at a warm room temperature until it has doubled. Then brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and bake.

12. Remove from the oven and cover with a clean and dry kitchen towel for 15 minutes. Then uncover and transfer to a cooling wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy your homemade challah bread!

Recipe Tips

• Flour doesn't behave exactly the same everywhere. Humidity, temperature, and even altitude can change how much liquid it absorbs, so pay attention to the dough rather than assuming it needs more flour because it's a little sticky.
• The dough is supposed to be soft and slightly tacky. I wouldn't keep adding flour until it stops sticking completely because you'll change the texture of the bread.
• If the dough keeps tearing during the windowpane test, knead it a little longer. If you've already been kneading for a while, give it a short rest first so it doesn't get too hot in the mixer.
• I use oil on my fingers and work surface when shaping. Flour might seem like the obvious solution to sticky dough, but you're also working more flour into the loaf every time you use it.
• Try to make the four ropes roughly the same length and thickness. They don't have to be exact, but reasonably even ropes make the finished braid much neater.
• Give the final rise the time it needs. The recipe gives you 45-60 minutes, but you're also looking for the loaf to double in size.
• Check the loaf after 20 minutes in the oven. If the top already looks dark enough, loosely cover it with foil and let the inside finish baking.

What Can You Serve With This?

• Honey
• Butter or dairy-free spread
• Jam or preserves
• Eggs
• Soup
• Roasted vegetables
• Fresh fruit
• Shabbat or holiday meals
• The best French toast is made with leftover challah

FAQs

Recipe