Name: Homemade Braided Challah Bread Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 160 min
Ingredients: 400 grams all-purpose flour; 8 grams diamond crystal kosher salt; 7 grams instant yeast; 85 grams warm water ((80°F)); 30 grams olive oil; 28 grams honey; 2 large eggs ((room temperature)); 1 large egg yolk ((room temperature, save the egg white)); 1 large egg white ((reserved from the egg yolk in the dough)); ¼ teaspoon water; ⅛ teaspoon salt ((optional))

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Get ready to learn how to make a delicious single loaf of homemade braided challah bread. My soft challah recipe uses an extra egg yolk, a generous pour of honey, and the richness of olive oil for the perfect golden-brown challah with a soft, slightly airy interior texture. It is so good paired with homemade butter.

In this post I'll show you my best tips for braiding a three-strand challah, but you can absolutely use this base challah dough to make any type of challah braid or shape your heart desires.

Looking for an even smaller challah recipe? Check out my small-batch challah bread which uses just 1 cup of flour!

Sliced homemade braided challah sits on a wooden board with a beige cloth. A napkin, glass jar, and a white pot with green and white plants are in the blurred background.

Challah is a specific type of enriched bread usually made to celebrate Ashkenazi Jewish ritual holidays like Shabbat as well as other major Jewish holidays (though not Passover, during which no leavened bread is eaten).

While other classic enriched doughs like my simple brioche bread use milk and butter for a soft and fluffy texture, challah bread is typically dairy-free.

Why is challah dairy-free? When you keep kosher, you aren't supposed to mix dairy and meat. Since challah is traditionally served at mealtime, it is instead enriched with eggs and olive oil. That way it is considered "parve" (Yiddish for "neutral") and can be served with meals containing dairy or meat products.

Traditionally, homemade braided challah is shaped as a three-strand braided loaf (which is what I'll show you how to do in this post). It's also perfectly acceptable to shape a four, six, eight, or even 12-strand braided challah loaf. The sky's the limit, really. If you can braid it, go for it! There are a lot of really creative challah braiders out there.

On Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, challah is baked in a round spiral or braid to honor the cyclical nature of the calendar year. My round apples and honey babka is shaped in a twisted spiral for that reason (though it uses a brioche dough).

A homemade braided challah loaf, golden brown, rests on a wooden cutting board lined with beige cloth. Nearby are white plates, a small plant, eggs in a dish, measuring spoons, and a napkin with a gold ring.

There are a lot of great challah recipes out there, so when I decided to develop my own homemade braided challah recipe, I decided to prioritize a few things:

I wanted a recipe that would make just one loaf of challah. A lot of popular challah recipes make two, if not three loaves of challah. According to Jewish tradition, you're supposed to have two challahs on Shabbat, but this is The Practical Kitchen and I'm personally not very religious — I just don't need two challahs!
I wanted a challah braiding technique that would avoid the "pulling" texture you sometimes get between the ropes of dough when it bakes. A lot of recipes don't mention how to avoid that, and I was determined to figure out the trick (and I did!).
I didn't want any ingredients to go to waste. Challah recipes often use extra egg yolks or use only egg yolks in the dough, and I wanted to develop my homemade braided challah recipe so that no parts of the egg would go unused.

A loaf of homemade braided challah with a golden crust is partially sliced on a wooden board. Several slices are laid out, revealing a soft, airy interior. The bread rests on a neutral-colored cloth.

My challah recipe uses two large eggs and one egg yolk, but the extra egg white is reserved to use as the egg wash on the final loaf.

One of the trickiest things about developing a challah recipe is creating a dough that is hydrated enough to shape so that the braids fuse into one solid loaf as it bakes, but that will also hold the braided shape and definition.

Too little water and the ropes won't fuse together during the final rise. Too much water and they'll fuse together so much that you lose the pretty braided shape.

I started with a very low-hydration dough and increased the amount of water by almost double over the course of recipe testing! The final version of my challah dough is soft and supple, easy to roll into long ropes for braiding.

A bowl of flour, olive oil, honey, salt, yeast, four eggs plus a yolk, and water are labeled on a white surface—ingredients for homemade braided challah. — See recipe card (at the end of the blog post) for ingredient quantities.

In addition to the fat from the egg yolks, I added a bit of olive oil to the dough. Olive oil adds flavor and helps give the challah a soft, tight crumb. It also adds elasticity to the dough, making it easier to roll and braid.

How to Make Challah Dough (Stand Mixer)

I follow the basic dough mixing process when making the dough for my homemade braided challah loaf. I start by mixing the dry ingredients together in my mixer bowl. Then, in a separate bowl, I whisk together the liquid ingredients just enough to break up the egg yolks and get the honey to start dissolving.

A metal mixing bowl with flour and yeast, a clear container of egg white substance, and a measuring cup with whisked eggs and oil, all set for homemade braided challah on a white surface. — I save the egg white from the extra yolk in a container in the fridge to use for the egg wash later.

A metal mixing bowl with white flour and a yellow liquid mixture, sits with a dough hook attachment inside on a light, textured surface.

A ball of dough for homemade braided challah sits in a metal stand mixer bowl with a dough hook in it. The bowl rests on a white textured surface.

A lot of the liquid ingredients in this challah dough take longer to absorb into the flour than water does, so the dough might seem dry during the initial mixing stage. As you knead the dough and leave it to rise, the flour will have plenty of time to finish absorbing them.

Shape the dough into a ball, then place the dough ball back in the mixing bowl and lightly coat the outside of the dough with olive oil. Cover the bowl and set aside somewhere warm to rise until doubled in size.

a small ball of challah dough in the bottom of a brown mixing bowl before rising.

the challah dough in a brown mixer bowl after rising. it fills almost the whole bowl.

How I Braid a Challah Loaf

Okay, I usually avoid talking about hair and food at the same time but, when it comes to challah, if you can braid hair you can braid challah. And if you can't braid hair, the good news is braiding challah is much easier (no frizz or flyaways to manage, yay!).

Don't be too hard on yourself if braiding challah doesn't come naturally to you on your first go. It will become easier with practice. I've got step-by-step photos to walk you through it and you can also check out the video at the end of this post if you want more visual guidance!

First, I divide and pre-shape the dough into logs. This helps the dough relax into this new shape before I roll it into longer ropes.

dividing the dough into three equal pieces using a green kitchen scale. the third piece of dough is on the scale weighing 226 grams.

two pieces of dough are on the counter while two hands fold another portion of dough into a log, pressing with fingertips to seal it in a tube shape.

Then, I gently flatten each piece into a long-ish rectangle and roll it up into a tight log, using my fingertips to seal the seam together at the bottom. I set each pre-shaped log aside while I work on the next one.

Starting with the first log of dough I pre-shaped, I roll each log of dough to about 20 inches long, starting with my hands in the middle of the rope and moving them to the ends of the rope as I roll, trying to maintain an even thickness.

I finish by tapering the ends of each rope by tilting my hands so my pinkies are flush against the counter and my thumbs are angled up as I roll.

two hands rolling a tube of dough into a long rope.

a long rope of dough next to a long metal ruler showing the rope to be twenty inches long.

As you braid your challah, there are two things to keep in mind:

Keep the braid a little bit loose to avoid that "pulling" texture when the loaf bakes. You aren't braiding hair for a cheerleading competition. Once the loaf is braided, it will rise again; the challah dough ropes need room to expand without pulling on each other.
As you cross the dough ropes over each other, think of it like you're folding them at a crease over each other, rather than always keeping the top side of the dough rope facing up.

Three ropes of dough joined at the top. A finger is pressing down at the top to seal them together.

Pinch the three ropes together at the top. The middle rope should be on top.

a bench scraper holds the joined top ends of the dough ropes down while two hands cross the far right rope over the middle rope.

Take one of the side ropes and loosely cross it over the middle rope.

the challah is halfway braided, two hands are crossing the left rope of dough over the middle rope.

Take the other side rope and cross it over the new middle rope. Repeat to the end.

The finished braided challah ends in a point. A hand is pinching the ends of the dough ropes together.

Pinch the ends together at the bottom firmly so they don't come undone.

Once my challah is braided, I gently lift and tuck the pinched-together ends under the loaf. This prevents the narrow ends from burning and gives the challah nice rounded ends. Then I transfer the whole challah loaf to a parchment-lined sheet pan.

the braided challah on a parchment lined sheet pan with a sheet of plastic wrap over it.

Before rising.

the risen challah on a sheet pan with a pastry brush and container of egg white wash.

After rising.

The final step is to brush the challah all over with the reserved egg white and bake it.

A homemade braided challah loaf rests on a beige cloth atop a wooden board. In the background, white potted plants, a glass jar, stacked plates, and eggs sit on a white surface.

Kneading Challah Dough By Hand (No Mixer)

No mixer, no problem! You can absolutely make the dough for this homemade braided challah by hand. Follow the recipe as stated, except use a dough whisk or spatula to mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until a shaggy dough forms.

Then turn the dough out onto a clean countertop and knead by hand for about 10-15 minutes until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic. This is a dense dough and will definitely put your arm and shoulder strength to the test.

Stretch your shoulders well before (and after) kneading and make sure to set a timer — it always takes longer than you think it will!

You may need to dust down a little additional flour while kneading just to prevent the dough from sticking to you and the counter, but a little sticking is normal. Use a light hand when dusting the flour — you don't want to incorporate too much flour into the dough.

The rest of the homemade braided challah recipe will follow as written!

A homemade braided challah loaf rests on a light cloth, with white plates and green potted plants in the background on a light-colored surface.

👩🏻‍🍳 Practical Tips and Recipe Notes

You can use this dough to make a round challah, a four-strand woven round challah, etc. The baking time shouldn't change too much, but you're always looking for that 195°-200°F internal temperature for doneness.
Pre-shape the dough logs and roll the ropes on an unfloured surface. You want the friction of the dough against the counter to help shape it; if you put flour down, the dough will have trouble sticking to itself and will slide all over the place and be much harder to roll.
I was testing this recipe at the height of winter when it was like 65°F in my kitchen. I used a seed-starting heat mat that I put my mixing bowl and sheet pan on to provide warmth to the challah dough while it rises, and it works great.

💭 Have More Baking Questions?

I've rounded up answers to common baking questions and how-to guides, including:

Ingredient swaps and FAQs
Why my recipes are written in grams and not cups
How to quickly bring eggs and butter to room temperature
Ingredients I use (salt, flour, yeast, etc.)
Step-by-step guides for bread and baking techniques

See my baking techniques & troubleshooting guide and ingredient swaps and FAQs for more!

TL;DR — Recipe Summary

Mix the dry ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. In a separate bowl, mix together the liquid ingredients.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with the dough hook until it comes together in a shaggy mass on the hook.
Knead for 5-7 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic.
Cover and rest (bulk ferment) for 1-2 hours in a warm spot.
Divide the dough into three equal pieces, and roll them into tapered ropes about 20 inches long. Braid the ropes loosely, leaving space to expand as the challah rises. Tuck the ends under.
Cover the challah with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour in a warm spot until almost doubled in size.
Brush the challah lightly all over with egg white wash.
Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350°F until an internal temp of 195°-200°F is reached.
Let cool completely before serving.

📖 Recipe

slices of challah bread leaning on each other.

Homemade Braided Challah Bread Recipe

Servings loaf

Author Rebecca Eisenberg

This single loaf homemade braided challah bread uses an extra egg yolk, a generous pour of honey, and the richness of olive oil to make the perfect golden brown challah crust with a soft, slightly airy interior texture. Perfect for Shabbat or making French toast!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Rising Time 2

Total Time 2 40

Recipe Notes

If you live somewhere very dry, you may find the dough needs a bit more water during the mixing stage; if you live somewhere very humid, hold back about 10-15 grams of water to start, and add it in gradually only if the dough needs it.
Bread flour works well in this recipe. If you use bread flour, you can use three whole eggs instead of two eggs and one egg yolk.
For a darker challah, you'll want a true egg wash made with a whole egg instead of just the egg white — the fat from the yolk helps give the crust a darker color.
This challah is best eaten within the first 2 days after baking. You can store it at room temperature for 4-6 days, though it will begin to dry out after a couple days. Storing it in an airtight container like a large resealable bag works well.
You can freeze challah whole or slice and then freeze it. Store the frozen challah in an airtight plastic bag in the freezer with as much air pressed out of the bag as possible. Reheat the whole loaf from frozen at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes in an oven or toast up the frozen slices in a toaster oven.

Ingredients

400 grams all-purpose flour
8 grams diamond crystal kosher salt
7 grams instant yeast
85 grams warm water (80°F)
30 grams olive oil
28 grams honey
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1 large egg yolk (room temperature, save the egg white)

Egg Wash

1 large egg white (reserved from the egg yolk in the dough)
¼ teaspoon water
⅛ teaspoon salt (optional)

Instructions

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together bread flour, salt, and instant yeast. In another, whisk together warm water, room temperature eggs, egg yolk, honey, and olive oil.
Mix. Pour the wet ingredients into the center of the dry ingredients and let the dough hook mix everything together on low-medium speed, pausing to incorporate flour from the sides of the bowl as needed until the dough comes together in a shaggy mass on the dough hook without any dry bits left in the bottom of the bowl. Be patient, this can take 5-8 minutes, if not more depending on the size of your mixer bowl.

After 7 minutes of mixing, if the dough is still struggling to come together, you can drizzle water ¼ teaspoon at a time onto the dry bits in the bowl until it does before moving on to kneading.

Note: Read more about the difference between mixing and kneading.

Knead. Increase the speed slightly and knead the challah dough for another 5-8 minutes until it is smooth and slightly elastic. It will be slightly tacky, but not sticky to the touch.

If the dough is sticking to the bottom of the bowl, pause periodically to scrape it up. You can also pull the dough off the dough hook and flip it over in the bowl so that it kneads more evenly.

Rise. Shape the challah dough into a ball, coat lightly with olive oil, and place back in the mixing bowl. Cover the bowl and rest in a warm spot for 1-2 hours. until doubled in size. NOTE: Mine usually takes around an hour and 15 minutes, though sometimes it needs closer to two hours if it's very cold in my kitchen.

Use the fingerprint test to check if the dough is ready to shape.

Pre-Shape. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces using your kitchen scale (each piece should be about 226 grams). Gently flatten each piece against the counter, stacking any smaller pieces on top of larger ones. Working with one piece at a time, roll the dough into a thick log, pinching the edge to seal the seam at the bottom.
Roll Ropes. Starting with the first log of dough, roll each one into a tapered rope about 20 inches long. Try to keep the "seam" of the dough against the counter so that it seals shut.
The dough ropes will relax and shrink back slightly as they rest, so I like to measure them after rolling all three. If they've shrunk back, I roll them again quickly to reach 20 inches. If you don't have a long ruler and are just eyeballing the length, just make sure they're all equal length once relaxed.

At any point if the dough feels like it's fighting you, doesn't want to roll any longer, or is shrinking back a lot each time you lift your hands, you can cover the ropes with a clean dish towel and let them rest for a minute or two, then resume rolling.

Braid. Join the ends of the three ropes of dough together at one end with the middle rope on top of the other two. Pinch to seal and use the heel of a bench scraper to hold them in place. Braid the challah loosely, leaving room for the ropes to expand and fill in during the final rise. Pinch the other end shut, then tuck the each of the two pinched together ends under the loaf and place it on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Rise. Lightly spritz the top of the challah with non-stick spray or brush with olive oil, then cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour. During this rise, the challah will double in size and should spring back slightly when you poke it.

During the final 30 minutes of the rise time, preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle of the oven.

Egg Wash. In a small bowl whisk the reserved egg white with water and a pinch of salt. Brush a thin layer of egg white all over the surface of the mini challah, making sure to get the sides, around near the bottom, and into the creases.
Bake. Bake in the center of a 350°F oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. You're looking for an internal temperature of 195°-200°F.
Cool. Remove from the oven and let the braided challah cool before slicing or serving.

Video

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