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Freshly baked Simple Challah Bread, two golden-brown braided loaves on a light blue cloth.

Simple Challah Bread

Bree Hester
No ratings yet
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Rising and Cooling Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course bread, Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine baking, holiday recipe, jewish
Servings 2 loaves
Calories 2299 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 6 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 2 Tablespoons instant or bread machine yeast
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup clover honey any light colored honey will work
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • warm water 100°

Instructions
 

  • In a very large bowl, combine the bread flour, yeast, and salt.
    Flour and yeast in mixing bowl for baking bread or pastries.
  • In a 4-cup measuring cup, add the honey, oil, and eggs.
    Adding honey, oil, and eggs to a measuring cup for Simple Challah Bread.
  • Add enough warm water to reach the 4 -cup mark.
    Mixing liquid ingredients for Simple Challah Bread.
  • Stir everything together.
    Stirring wet ingredients for Simple Challah Bread.
  • Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones.
    Pouring wet ingredients into dry flour for Simple Challah Bread.
  • Stir the mixture to combine, and then beat for 40 strokes. Scraping the bottom of the bowl. The dough will be lumpy and very sticky.
    Stirring the lumpy, sticky dough for Simple Challah Bread.
  • Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours. The dough will look spongy. At this point, you can make rolls, cinnamon rolls, whatever you want, but we are going to make challah breads.
    Dough covered with plastic wrap in metal mixing bowl.
  • Cut the dough in half. You have enough for two loaves. You can save the other half in the fridge for something else if you want. Pour the dough out on to a floured surface. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle.
    Simple Challah Bread dough rolled out on a floured surface.
  • Fold the dough in half, turn a quarter turn, and roll again. Repeat this 3 times.
    Folding Simple Challah Bread dough on a floured counter with a rolling pin.
  • Form the dough into a cylinder, and cut it into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a 16-inch long rope. You want to work with this dough as little as possible, so it does not have to be perfect.
    Flour-dusted dough ropes for baking on a kitchen countertop.
  • Take the 3 ropes and braid them together. Pinch the dough and fold it under at the top and bottom. Put the loaves on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover in a towel. Let rest for 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
    Braided Simple Challah Bread dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet, ready to rise.
  • Make an egg wash (1 egg and 1 Tablespoon water whisked together) and brush it all over the loaves. You can sprinkle sesame or poppy seeds on it if you like.
    Braided Simple Challah Bread loaf with egg wash in a bowl.
  • Bake for about 40 minutes. The internal temperature should be at least 190 degrees. Cool on a cooling rack.

Nutrition

Calories: 2299kcalCarbohydrates: 436gProtein: 56gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 5312mgFiber: 11g
Keyword challah bread, jewish bread, no knead bread
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