This Homemade Challah Bread recipe is so light and fluffy and delicious. Challah is a beautiful breaded bread, it’s best enjoyed right out of the oven warm with butter or dipped in your favorite sauce or used for French Toast for breakfast or brunch.

Close up image of challah bread wrapped in a kitchen towel.

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This Jewish bread is slightly sweet, incredibly soft and fluffy, and easy to make using a stand mixer. It’s commonly braided in 3, 4, or 6 strands and it is served during the Sabbath and high holidays.

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

All the ingredients needed for the Challah bread recipe. The Midwest Kitchen Blog

Flour – Regular all-purpose flour or bread flour.
Eggs – The addition of eggs helps to enrich the bread, so it has a richer flavor and a light and fluffy texture.
Oil – Vegetable oil or olive oil works here.
Yeast – Use Active Dry Yeast. This yeast needs to be “bloomed” first in warm water before it’s combined with the other ingredients. I have tips on how to make sure the water is the right temperature in the “Tips” section down below!
Sugar – Traditional Challah bread is slightly sweet, 3 – 4 tablespoons of sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness without it being too sweet in case you want to use the bread for sandwiches.
Egg wash – Optional. In order to get a lovely brown and glossy finish you can brush the bread dough with an egg wash made with 1 beaten egg and a splash of water.

How To Make Fluffy Homemade Challah Bread

Proof the yeast – In the bowl of a stand mixer stir together warm water, yeast and sugar. Allow the yeast to sit for 5 – 10 minutes or until it starts to look bubbly.
Make the bread dough – Add in the flour, eggs, and salt. Add the dough hook attachment then mix on low or medium-low speed for 5 – 10 minutes or until the dough is soft and smooth but not sticky. The dough shouldn’t stick to the side of the bowl.
Dust a clean counter with flour then form the dough into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands it’s ok, a little flour should prevent it from sticking too much.
Rub bowl with oil then add the dough. Coat the dough with the oil then cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel.
Let rise. Allow the dough to double in size in a warm draft-free environment for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, punch the dough down, then allow it to double in size once more.
Divide the dough. Punch the dough down again then turn it onto a clean counter. Divide the dough in half to make 2 loaves, then divide each half of the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, then braid.
Egg wash. Place the dough onto a parchment paper lined baking pan then brush with an egg wash if desired, cover with plastic wrap then allow the loaves to double in size. Before covering, top with sesame seeds or poppy seeds if desired.
Bake. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush your loaves with egg wash again, then underneath the parchment paper, add 2-3 tablespoons of water to the baking pan(don’t pour the water on the bread). This helps to keep the bottoms of the loaves soft as they bake. Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 30 – 35 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.
Enjoy. Allow the bread to cool slightly then enjoy warm with butter.

Tips and Tricks

Stand mixer – I find that it is easier to use a stand mixer to knead the bread dough because I don’t have to knead for 5 – 10 minutes, but it is totally doable by hand. Here is the mixer I have if you want to check it out!
Getting the yeast temperature right – One of the things I had trouble with when I first started baking bread is getting the water temperature right for the yeast. If the water is too cold the yeast isn’t able to work. Likewise, if the water is too hot the yeast can be killed and is unusable. If you struggle as well, I would suggest getting a kitchen thermometer. You want warm water at about 110F degrees. If you stick your finger in the water it should be warm, but not too uncomfortable.
Egg wash – If you want your loaves to have a deeply browned and glossy look to them, brush them with an egg wash after braiding and then again before baking.
Toppings – Sprinkle loaves before baking with poppy seed, sesame seeds, Za’atar seasoning, or Everything But The Bagel Seasonings.
Add water underneath the parchment paper to keep the bottom of the loaves soft as they bake. If you don’t like hard crust this is a great tip. Pour the water directly onto the baking dish(it shouldn’t touch the bread dough at all) underneath the parchment paper; 2 – 3 tablespoons is enough to keep the bottoms soft.

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