Challah Bread – braided loaf bread with a gorgeous golden brown exterior and a supple interior. A perfect holiday or everyday spread. Rich, slightly sweetened and easy to make, too!

This post  is sponsored by  Café Appliances. Customizable appliances for modern day cooks. Design your appliances around your style. 

Bread has been my go-to food whenever I don’t like what’s on the table. That was me back then, a typical picky eater child. Eventually, mom taught me how to work on the dough so I can just bake my own bread at home whenever I want to. That peculiar fresh-from-the-oven smell would always evoke that joy of simply being at home – somewhat like a labor of love.

But here’s this one special bread that I always keep coming back week to after week here in L.A. There’s this local Jewish bakeshop in our previous place that sells the most amazing Challah Bread, by far.

And ever since we move in to another place, I keep telling myself to learn how to make it so I won’t have to drive down for more than an hour just to get one. Trust me, I could eat Challah Bread more often than you could imagine.

Convection Over-the-Range Microwave Oven

Thankfully, I have my very reliable Café Appliances Matte Black finish with Brushed Copper accent Over-the-Range Microwave Oven. This versatile convection microwave oven allows me to proof my yeast mixture with just a press of a button so I can then work on my dough.

Using this convection microwave oven allows me to do some baking especially on these warmer days without heating up my entire house. It’s more like having another oven in my kitchen that has a LOOOOT of features.

Moreover, this appliance here detects the moisture of the food and adjust automatically the needed cooking time to make sure you have a properly cooked meat, vegetable and even popcorn! And that means I’m saving big time on time and power, too. 😉

But my favorite part of it is its My Cycle feature that lets me create a custom cook time setting (let’s say for this Baked Jollof Rice as seen below). I just have to save that setting and then just press it the next time I’m making one. Amazing, RICE? Errr… I mean, right? It’s like a smart app in a mobile phone, but in the form of a convection microwave oven.

“Hey, hey, hey, Imma! Why is that microwave oven installed just right on top of a cooktop. Who does that?”.

Well, Café Appliances does that.

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My list is already quite long on why Café Appliances has my approval. Aside from it’s WOW functions, and money-saving features, it also boost my confidence to open up my kitchen to guests anytime of the year. I can EASILY add my personal style into my kitchen with their custom handles and knobs to match or contrast my house’s interior.

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What is Challah Bread?

Challah (pronounced as  /xɑːˈlɑː/, /ˈhɑːlə/or/ˈkɑːlə/) is a special Jewish braided bread typically eaten during religious occasions such as the Sabbath and other major Jewish holidays except for the Passover. It originally refers to that portion of dough that is set aside before braiding as an offering to the Temple priests.

Today, Challah Bread is enjoyed by Jewish and beloved by non-Jewish alike all over the world. 

It is primarily made of eggs, flour, yeast, sugar, water and salt. Other variations would sprinkle it with sesame or poppy seeds or fill it with raisins. You’ll be amazed at how rich and supple the loaf is and it’s very straightforward to make.

As you can see in the photos, I went on to challenge myself and made two loaves of three-strand braid stacked up for a striking presentation (WOHOO!). But you can start with the simpler single layer loaf. It’d still be as enjoyable as this one here below.

What Does Challah Bread Taste Like?

No words can best describe how utterly amazing this bread is. The dough is ultra rich and slightly sweet. It’s somewhat between a brioche and white bread and best enjoyed warm and fresh from the oven. For those who want to bump up its flavor, you can add cinnamon, Nutella or chocolate chips.

But I’d like to take it plain and simple as Challah Bread makes a wonderful French Toast the next day. I even tried using some of the leftovers in bread pudding and even on sandwiches. I have nothing but praise for this bread!

Brioche vs. Challah

Challah and Brioche are not the same bread at all. First off, Challah is part of a Jewish tradition while Brioche is a French bread that are often defined by some as sort of a combination of bread and pastry. Unlike Challah Bread, Brioche is loaded with butter (and has milk, too) giving off a light-textured, pillowy-soft bread with a sweet taste and definitely RICHER than Challah. Nevertheless, these two make the best French toast and bread pudding, too.

How to Eat Challah Bread?

I often eat this with a slab of butter or with jam or jelly and, of course, a huge cup of my morning coffee. Perfect combination! It also pairs well with a generous spread of Nutella; something that my son would truly enjoy.

For leftover Challah Bread, you can simply make it as a great French Toast or prepare them ahead as a French Toast Bake when serving a crowd.

But don’t just stop right there! You can also turn it into a delicious sandwich filled with thin slices of roasted beef, bacon or simply with ham and cheese.

(Do you love sandwiches? Check out my SANDWICH RECIPES here.)

Now go ahead and give this delicious Challah Bread a go – you won’t regret it! This would be the best time to practice before making a six-strand braid Challah, if that’s your goal. And by the weekend or this coming holiday (yep, hello September), you’ll have a wonderfully braided golden loaf bread sitting right on top of your table shared with your loved ones. As you probably know, nothing beats that freshly baked smell in the house!

Enjoy!

 

Tips and Notes:

1. If you want you to make a celebration round bread, simply stretch the loaf a little longer and pull both ends towards each other to create a circle and squeeze the ends together to seal.
2. To store Challah Bread, wrap it tightly in a plastic wrap and store at room temperature for 4-5 days.
3. To make it ahead, place the unbaked braided loaf in a baking pan and cover it with a greased plastic wrap. Place it then in the refrigerator overnight. On the next day, remove the dough from the refrigerator (while still covered) and let it warm and rise on room temperature for 60 minutes before baking it as per instructions.
4. Brush the loaf with an egg wash before sprinkling it with sesame or poppy seeds.

 

Watch How To Make It

 

How to Make Challah Bread

Combine lukewarm water and yeast. Let it sit until dissolve for about 5 minutes. You may do so in a standing mixer, if using. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe medium bowl add butter chunks, sugar, salt and microwave for about a minute. Stir until everything is melted – mixture should be warm not hot. Let it cool slightly if mixture is hot.

Dump everything into the yeast mixture. Whisk egg into the the mixture; if the mixture is too hot, let it cool to a warm mixture to prevent eggs from curdling. Mix until ingredients are fully combined.

Add about 3 cups of flour and continue mixing by hand or using paddle dough. Add in enough additional flour (if needed) to make soft dough. Turn dough on lightly floured surface and knead for 6-7 minutes or more if you want airy bread.

Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the dough. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 to 2 hours or until doubled. Punch the dough down.

How To Braid Challah Bread

Remove dough onto a floured board or work surface. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, one about half the size of the other. Approximate weight for the larger dough should be about 18-19 ounces and the smaller dough about 9 ounce.

Now divide the larger piece of dough into three equal strands, stretch or roll out dough into an even thickness of about 16-inch long rope. Line up the strands and pinch them together at one end. Braid the strands; take the left strand and cross it over the middle strand.

Take the right strand and cross it over the middle strand, until bread is completed. Tightly pinch to seal the end. Carefully transfer braid on a baking sheet, line with parchment paper. Repeat the exact same process with the smaller dough.

Brush egg white onto of the larger braided dough, then carefully place the smaller braided dough on top. Make sure it sits well. Cover with kitchen cloth and let rise until puffy, about 30 to 45 minutes. Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees F.

Whisk together egg yolks and cream, then gently brush the loaf with the egg wash, you do not want to deflate the bread.

Bake in preheated oven for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown. If bread browns quickly, cover loosely cover with foil paper. Let it cool completely before slicing.