• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Comfortable Food
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cooking
  • Seasonal
  • Regional
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cooking
    • Seasonal
    • Regional
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Baking Recipes

    The Perfect Challah (Braid or Knots)

    BY: Ben Rayl PUBLISHED: 27 Mar, '13 UPDATED: 16 May, '21 8 Comments

    RecipePrintComments

    While the Brioche Burger Buns I posted the other day do arguably make the best hamburger bun - this Challah bread is the perfect sandwich bread.  It's so light and fluffy and chewy and just sweet enough.

    The best challah bread recipe.

    This recipe can yield either Challah Knots or a Challah Braid, so choose your method - the only difference is the baking time and the way you form the bread.  I love the Knots for breakfast with butter and jam, or as dinner rolls or sandwich buns.   The Challah braid is beautiful and adds to any special dinner - it also makes the most amazing french toast . . .

    This bread is very versatile and incredibly delicious, if you've never had it before - make this recipe.  It's super easy and the pay-off is tremendous!

    The best challah bread recipe.

    The Perfect Challah (Braid or Knots)

    This Challah bread recipe is the perfect sandwich bread.  It's so light and fluffy and chewy and just sweet enough.
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved! Share
    Course: Baking
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 12 Servings
    Calories: 232kcal
    Author: Ben Rayl

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 cup warm - water
    • 4 teaspoon dry yeast - or 30 g fresh
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 3 ½ cups flour
    • 2 teaspoon salt
    • ¼ cup honey
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil
    • 4 egg yolks
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tablespoon water

    Instructions

    • Put the warm water in a small bowl, stir in the sugar and yeast and leave until foamy, about 10 minutes.
    • In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour and salt, and set aside.
    • Whisk the honey, oil and egg yolks into the yeast mixture, then add this to the flour and stir together to form a dough.
    • Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 8 - 10 minutes. (the dough will be very sticky, just keep sifting flour over it and kneading it until it gets smooth)
    • Put a little oil into the large bowl, form the dough into a ball and place it in the bowl, rolling it around a bit to coat on all sides with the oil.
    • Cover with a damp cloth and place in a warm, draft free place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
    • Punch down the dough, then let it rise again, about 45 more minutes.
    •  This recipe will either make 12 challah knot rolls, or one loaf of braided bread - follow the instructions for either method - or do as I do and double the recipe and make both!

     to make knots:

    • Heat the oven to 350 F (175C) and grease a large baking pan (9" x 12").
    • Separate the dough into 12 equal sized balls, then roll each ball into a 10" rope.
    • Tie each rope into a knot, tuck the ends under, then space all 12 evenly in the pan.  Cover with a towel and let sit for another 30 minutes.
    • Whisk the egg with the tablespoon of water and brush the tops of the rolls well.
    • Bake for about 20 minutes, until browned on top.

     to make a braid:

    • Separate the dough into 3 equal sized balls.
    • Roll each ball out into a 20" (50 cm) rope, leaving the rope thicker in the middle than at the ends.  Be sure to have all 3 ropes the same.
    • Pinch the ends of the ropes together, then braid the ropes together tightly, but be careful to not stretch the bread.
    • Tuck each end under neatly, transfer the loaf to a baking paper lined baking sheet, cover with a towel and let sit for 30 minutes.
    • Whisk the egg and tablespoon of water, then brush the entire top and sides of loaf.
    • Bake for 20 minutes, then remove, brush again with the egg wash before returning to the oven to bake for about 15 - 20 more minutes, until golden brown.  Be careful to not overcook.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 399mg | Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 106IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 2mg

    More Baking Recipes

    • The best brioche hamburger buns
      Brioche Hamburger Buns
    • Very traditional bread pudding with creme angalais
      Very Traditional Bread Pudding with Crème Anglaise
    • Quick and simple chocolate mousse
      Quick and Simple Chocolate Mousse
    • Super tart lemon meringue pie
      Lemon Meringue Pie

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Keturah

      May 29, 2021 at 2:01 am

      I make this challah for dinner every Friday night and everyone loves it!!

      Reply
    2. Shushma

      December 27, 2019 at 1:54 pm

      Love this recipe. Mine also comes out great every time.

      Reply
    3. Anonymous

      September 13, 2015 at 6:57 pm

      Delish!

      Reply
    4. anna briceno

      August 30, 2014 at 12:11 pm

      can i use bread flour or do you recommend all purpose?

      Reply
    5. Shushma Samaroo

      April 09, 2014 at 4:49 pm

      This recipe is amazing!! Comes out perfect 🙂

      Reply
    6. Bev Smith

      April 09, 2013 at 9:34 pm

      Would this be possible to mix in a breadmaker ?

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Chef Ben Rayl

    Hi, I'm Ben!

    I believe comfort food unites us, and I want to inspire you to cook at home with everyday ingredients. It is easier and takes less time than you think, costs less than eating out, and tastes a million times better.Read More

    Feel free to share our recipes on your blog using a photo and link back to the original recipe.

    Cooking How-tos

    • How many ounces in a quart featured 2
      How Many Ounces in a Quart
    • Jasmine rice featured
      How to make Perfect Jasmine Rice
    • How to brine a turkey
      How To Brine A Turkey
    • What is wagyu beef explained
      What Is Wagyu Beef?

    Italian Recipes

    • Tiramisu featured 1
      Easy Tiramisu Recipe
    • Different types of pasta featured
      32 Different Types of Pasta
    • Pizza pasta featured 2
      Pasta Pizza Casserole
    • Pizza soup featured 3
      Pizza Soup

    Comfort Casseroles

    • Featured chicken broccoli casserole
      Chicken Broccoli Casserole
    • Featured beef enchilada casserole
      Beef Enchilada Casserole
    • Featured chicken wild rice casserole
      Chicken Wild Rice Casserole
    • Featured pics
      Cabbage Roll Casserole

    Best Comfort Recipes

    • Soup recipes with few ingredients
      35 Easy Soup Recipes with Few Ingredients
    • Featured shredded chicken
      28 Easy Recipes with Shredded Chicken
    • Chorizo recipes featured
      26 Easy Chorizo Recipes
    • Cream of chicken recipes
      20 Easy Cream of Chicken Recipes
    • Panini recipes
      25 Best "Gooey Panini Recipes"
    • Easy kielbasa recipes
      30 Easy Kielbasa Recipes

    Footer

    Subscribe Now

    Never miss a recipe!

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    .

    About

    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Disclosure
    • Accessibility

    Recipes

    • Dinner Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Side Dish Recipes
    • Appetizer Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes

    More

    • Cooking How tos
    • 35 Easy Soup Recipes with Few Ingredients

    Favorites

    • Bruschetta Recipe
    • Breakfast Casserole with Bacon
    • Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
    • Chicken and Biscuits
    • Chicken Casserole with Ritz Crackers

    ↑ back to top

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Comfortable Food · All Rights Reserved