Best Challah Bread Recipe

If you're looking for the best challah bread recipe around, you'll love this one from Martha Stewart!

Challah is a wonderful, rich bread with its roots in the Jewish religion. It is usually enjoyed on the Sabbath, or on Jewish religious holidays such as Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year).

It has a flavor somewhat reminiscent of brioche, being slightly sweet and moist.  

The richness in challah bread comes from the large number of eggs it often contains — 3 whole eggs plus 3 yolks in this recipe!

Tips for Making Challah Bread 

You'll note that in this recipe you're told to knead the dough, adding more flour if necessary.

A good rule of thumb here is to flour the heel of your hand, instead of the dough. Otherwise, you risk putting too much flour into the dough, which will alter both its texture and its taste. By simply flouring your hands, you'll only be adding a very little bit of flour at a time. 

Variations on the Basic Challah Bread Recipe

This challah bread recipe is perfect just as it is - but you can change things up a little if you prefer.

The most common variation is to add a cup of raisins or golden raisins to the dough before shaping it. Other ideas include topping the challah bread with:

• Poppy seeds or sesame seeds
• Cinnamon and sugar
• A drizzle of olive oil and rosemary
• Chopped roasted garlic
• Toasted almond slices and powdered sugar

You can store any leftover challah bread at room temperature in a resealable plastic bag for up to 2 days. If you are running out of time to eat it, then use the leftovers to make French toast — it tastes amazing!

You can also use leftover challah bread to make bread crumbs — just bake it for 15 minutes in a low oven to dry it out, then pulse it in a food processor.

Or make croutons for soups and salads by cutting the bread into cubes, drizzling with olive oil and salt, and baking them in a low oven until hard and golden.

Challah is not enjoyed on the Jewish holiday of Passover, when most Jews abstain from eating anything leavened, including challah. Instead, try these Passover appetizers, vegan Passover dishes, herbed horseradish salad, classic potato kugel, or tahini swirl brownies instead!.