Braided Bread Recipe Challah

Today, I'm sharing how to make the six-strand braided bread, challah. Sounds complicated, but with my step-by-step and video you will be making it like a pro in no time at all.

Challah is a Jewish braided bread made every week on Friday to celebrate Shabbat, the Jewish weekend, as well as on festive occasions, except Passover. It's an enriched dough made with flour, oil, and eggs and gets a slight yellow color from the eggs.

About this bread

This is not the classic challah recipe, but my version of the recipe with milk and honey. Traditional challah is made with water because Jews do not eat dairy and meat together. But, if you're not keeping kosher, try this bread, it is absolutely delicious.

The real magic of this bread is, of course, the braiding. They start from one braid right up to 10 braids. Some very easy and some a little complicated. Previously, I shared with you how to braid, the three-strand, four-strand, and five-strands braided bread. Today, I want to share with you this is a six strands braided challah.

The timeline and process for making this challah is quite straightforward. It takes about 2 ½ to 3 hours.

• Make the dough - 10 minutes
• First rise - 60 minute (can be made overnight)
• Shape the loaf - 15 minutes
• Proof the bread - 45 minutes
• Bake the bread - 25 minutes

The secret to baking a perfect braided bread

There are two things that contribute to good braided bread.

1. The density of the dough when making this bread. Unlike our pizza or focaccia bread, where we add more water, this dough has less water. Unlike our dinner rolls, where we make a light and airy bread, this one is denser. That's because we want the dough to hold its shape. So, when you knead this dough, you want to take note of the density of the dough. It must be soft but still have a good body, not as squishy as pizza dough.
2. When shaping the loaf, don't just roll it into a long rope. Take that moment to roll it out, then into a jelly roll as I have in the video. This gives you a well-formed and shaped loaf. The final bread will hold better as I like to call a good looking bread.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Flour - I like using all-purpose flour for this challah. It gives a soft chew bread with a tender crust. You can also use bread flour very easily for this recipe.
• Milk - As I said above, traditionally, challah is made with water but we are using milk today.
• Instant dry yeast – I like to use instant dry because I’ve always had great success with it. If you have to use active dry yeast, you will need 2 ¼ tsp or one packet. And if you use fresh yeast, you will need about 21 grams. Also, it’s not necessary to activate the yeast, but I like to take the guesswork out and make sure my dough will rise.
• Honey – I'm using honey, but 2 tbsp of sugar would work just as well.
• Butter – I like adding butter, not just to feed the yeast, but also to add flavor. You can substitute the butter for 2 tbsp of oil in this recipe.
• Egg - Adds a lot of flavor to the bread, gives a tender crumb and strengthens the texture. The egg is also a leavening agent that helps the bread rise. You can omit the egg if necessary, but you will need to use less flour than the recipe states as the egg is a liquid ingredient.

Step by step instructions (save/pin)

For the dough

• Combine flour and salt – set aside.
• In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk, yeast, honey, oil, and eggs.
• Then, add the flour and combine well.
• Knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.

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• Shape the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl.
• Cover and let rise for 60 to 90 minutes or until double in volume (you can also leave this dough in the fridge to rise overnight).

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Shape the loaf

• Transfer to an un-floured work-surface.
• You can make two small challah breads or one large challah bread with this dough. For two small loaves, divide the dough into 2. Today, I made one large challah.
• Then, divide the dough into 6 portions. They need to be approximately the same weight. I use a weighing scale to measure the dough.
• Shape each into a ball. If necessary, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Roll each ball with a rolling pin on an un-floured work surface (see video).
• Then, roll like a jelly roll into a rope about 18 inches long (see video) – This will give us a beautiful tight texture for the loaf.

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Braiding the bread

• Place all six ropes so they intersect at the top. It's easier to watch the video first, then try to understand my instructions.
• Ensure the six strands are secured at the top. From left to right you now have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 strands in front of you. It's harder when only read my instructions, so watch the video.
• Strand 1 goes over 6 and 6 goes over 1 - simple criss-cross (like two arms on either side).
• Then, 1 comes down in between 2, 3 and 4, 5.
• And 3 goes over in place of 6.
• Then, 1 comes down in between 2, 3 and 4, 5.
• And 4 goes over in place of 1.
• Continue with the process until you have reached the bottom.
• Tuck the seams at the top and bottom under.
• Place on a baking tray. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let proof for 30 to 45 minutes.

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Bake

• A half-hour before baking, preheat the oven at 170 C / 340 F.
• Brush the bread with beaten egg (one egg with 2 tbsp water works great for egg wash).
• Bake each for 20 to 25 minutes until you have a nice golden brown (the internal temperature of about 195 F).
• Remove and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Then, cover with a clean kitchen cloth to keep it soft.
• Enjoy!

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Frequently asked questions

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Six-Strand Braided Bread Challah

Author: Veena Azmanov

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Veenaazmanov

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Proofing time: 2 hrs

Total Time: 2 hrs 50 mins

Calories: 130kcal

Adjust Servings Here: 20 slices

Description

Today, I'm sharing how to make the six-strand braided bread, challah. Sounds complicated, but with my step-by-step and video you will be making it like a pro in no time at all.

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 cup (240 ml) Milk warm 110F
• ▢ 0.75 oz (20 g) Fresh bakers yeast (or 2 ¼ tsp instant dry yeast)
• ▢ 2 tbsp Honey
• ▢ 2 tbsp Butter olive or cooking
• ▢ 2 Eggs large
• ▢ 4 cups (500 g) All-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 tsp Salt
• ▢ ½ cup (60 g) All-purpose flour for kneading

Instructions

For the dough

• Combine flour and salt – set aside.
• In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk, yeast, honey, oil, and eggs.
• Then, add the flour and combine well.
• Knead the dough for 4 to 5 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Shape the dough into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl.
• Cover and let rise for 60 to 90 minutes or until double in volume (you can also leave this dough in the fridge to rise overnight).

Shape the loaf.

• Transfer to an un-floured work-surface.
• You can make two small challah breads or one large challah bread with this dough.

  For two small loaves, divide the dough into 2. Today, I made one large challah.
• Then, divide the dough into 6 portions. They need to be approximately the same weight. I use a weighing scale to measure the dough.
• Shape each into a ball. If necessary, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Roll each ball with a rolling pin on an un-floured work surface (see video).
• Then, roll like a jelly roll into a rope about 18 inches long (see video) – This will give us a beautiful tight texture for the loaf.

Braiding the bread

• Place all six ropes so they intersect at the top. It's easier to watch the video first then try to understand my instructions.
• Ensure the six strands are secured at the top. From left to right you now have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 strands in front of you. It's harder when only read my instructions, so watch the video.
• Strand 1 goes over 6 and 6 goes over 1 - simple criss-cross (like two arms on either side).
• Then, 1 comes down in between 2, 3 and 4, 5.
• And 3 goes over in place of 6.
• Then, 1 comes down in between 2, 3 and 4, 5.
• And 4 goes over in place of 1.
• Continue with the process until you have reached the bottom.
• Tuck the seams at the top and bottom under.
• Place on a baking tray. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and let proof for 30 to 45 minutes.

Bake

• A half-hour before baking, preheat the oven at 170 C / 340 F.
• Brush the bread with beaten egg (one egg with 2 tbsp water works great for egg wash).
• Bake each for 20 to 25 minutes until you have a nice golden brown (the internal temperature of about 195 F).
• Remove and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Then, cover with a clean kitchen cloth to keep it soft.
• Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

 

1. Measure all ingredients ahead of time, so you don't forget anything at the last minute.
2. For accuracy, use a weight measure for the ingredients because every cup of flour can weigh differently depending on how you fill it.
3. The liquid (milk or water) must be warm (not hot) - about 110F. If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Similarly, if the liquid is too cold, it will not activate the yeast.
4. Most yeasts have a long shelf life, but it can get ruined. Always check the expiry date on the yeast. If unsure, combine the yeast with water/milk, sugar/honey, and oil/butter from the recipe and let stand 5 minutes. If it gets foamy the yeast is good to go. If not, it's best to buy fresh yeast or check the temperature of the milk.
5. Keep salt away from yeast as it can kill the yeast. I like to combine salt with the flour then add the yeast mixture.
6. A soft loose well-hydrated dough is not necessarily a bad thing. Often, it will give you a soft puffy bread. So, don't be tempted to add more flour than mentioned in the recipe.
7. Kneading is key to making good bread. While kneading by hand can be therapeutic, using a stand mixer is easier and quicker.
8. Leave the dough at room temperature to rise until double in volume. While not recommended, when in haste, you can place it in a warm (30 C / 75 F- not hotter) oven this will expedite the rise.
9. Bread does not have to be time-consuming. You can leave the dough in the fridge to rise for a few hours (even overnight) while you go about your chores. A slow rise will give more flavor to the bread.
10. Always preheat the oven for at least 10 minutes before you place bread in or the low temperature will spread the dough too much.

Recipe adaptations and referenced - Bread Bakers Apprentice and Flour, water, salt and yeast

Equipment

Stand Mixer

Mixing Bowl

Meas Cups and Spoons

Baking Tray

Nutrition Information

Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 4gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 240mgPotassium: 41mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 24IUCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

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