This turned out very well for my first attempt at challah bread. Instead of the four ropes, I made three. Very pleased with the results!
Challah (Braided Egg Bread)
See step-by-step instructions on how to braid challah bread.
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Credit: Landon Nordeman
heated to 115°
1/4 cup plus 1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
4 tbsp. unsalted butter,
melted, plus more for
greasing
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg yolk
Sesame seeds, to garnish
1. Stir together milk, 1 tsp. sugar, and yeast in a large bowl; let sit until foamy, 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together butter and eggs. Add to yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add flour, remaining sugar, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a lightly greased large bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let sit until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Uncover, punch dough down, and re-cover; let sit until slightly puffed, 30 minutes.
2. Uncover dough, divide into 4 equal portions, and roll each into a 16"-long rope. Align dough ropes side by side, perpendicular to you, and pinch together ends farthest from you to form one end of loaf. Braid ropes and pinch ends together to seal. Transfer braided loaf to a parchment paper—lined baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap; let proof for 1 hour.
3. Heat oven to 375°. Stir together egg yolk and 1 tbsp. water in a small bowl and brush all over surface of loaf; sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds. Bake until loaf is dark golden brown, 30–35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes before serving.
MAKES 1 LOAF
Ratings & Reviews (4)
A challah bread would never have milk in it because it is traditionally served with meat and you cannot mix meat and milk at the same meal. This looks like it would be good bread, but it is not a traditional challah receipe.
I make this recipe all the time. It's very close to the recipe that my Grandmother makes and her mother before her. My family is eastern European but not Jewish. Mostly Russian orthodox, I think, but none of us are any kind of religious anymore so it never was a problem that there is milk in the bread. We traditionally made this bread in loaf pans and then braided the top. We also include raisins. I, however, prefer the free-form loaves and the sesame seeds are delicious.
Excellent!
Challah (Braided Egg Bread)
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