Easy Challah Recipe

This easy challah recipe is perfect for bread-making beginners and anyone looking to bake a fresh loaf in a short time. Because it only requires one rise, you can make a 3-strand braided challah with a soft, pillowy interior and a thin, golden-brown crust in just 2 hours. Whether you knead by hand or use your stand mixer, this easy-to-follow recipe is freezer- and refrigerator-friendly, making it ideal for planning ahead for Jewish holidays or whenever you need a fresh loaf.

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This easy challah bread recipe has been developed to become one of your new favorite easy bread recipes.

This is truly the best homemade challah bread, and it didn’t happen by accident. After numerous trials and adjustments to every measurement, I have finally developed a quick challah recipe that maintains the rich taste and airy texture of a traditional bakery-style loaf, yet is simple enough to bake even on your busiest Friday.

Here’s Why You’ll Love This Easy Challah Bread

• All the rich flavor and texture of classic challah, but ready in less time
• Soft & Pillowy
• Developed with All-Purpose flour, making it suitable for home baker & bread-making beginners.
• Require 1 rise time
• Make-Ahead & Freezer-Friendly—Perfect for busy schedules—bake it now and freeze it for later.
• Dairy-Free recipe

Also, challah is one of the best breads to use for French toast and bread puddings.

Why This is the Easiest Challah Bread Recipe

While most challah bread recipes can feel intimidating because they call for bread flour, high hydration levels, and long rising times. I have designed this simple challah recipe to be completely fail-proof and accessible for everyone, from first-time bakers to seasoned pros. Here is why this recipe works for anyone:

• No fancy equipment needed: While I have included stand mixer instructions in the recipe card below, this challah dough is easy to make by hand. All you need is a mixing bowl and a spatula, a wooden spoon, or a dough whisk. The only extra tool I suggest is a kitchen scale to weigh your strands before shaping your challah to ensure your braid is perfectly even and looks professional.
• Made from all-purpose flour: While I usually encourage bakers to insist on high-protein bread flour when making enriched doughs. I developed this recipe for all-purpose flour, as it’s the go-to choice for many home bakers, without losing the rich flavor and the pillowy texture of bakery-style challah.
• Flexible yeast options: Whatever you have in your kitchen pantry, this recipe works. You can use active dry, instant, or fresh yeast with the same great results.
• Shorter rising time: This is a single-rise recipe, meaning you only have to wait once before your loaf is ready for the oven. To avoid guesswork about rise time, I tested this recipe in a kitchen at 68°F (20°C). This gives you a clear benchmark—if your kitchen is cooler, know that you’ll need to give it more time to double in size.

Ingredients You’ll Need

My hack here is using a slightly lower hydration level, which allows the all-purpose flour to hydrate properly without turning the dough into a sticky mass, which makes it incredibly easy to handle and shape. Here are the rest of the ingredients you will need for this rich dough:

• Yeast: You will need 2 and 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast or active yeast, and 2 oz (21 grams) if you will use fresh yeast.
• Sugar: I use granulated sugar in this recipe to feed the yeast, provide a slightly sweet taste, and tenderize the dough to get a softer crumb.
• Salt: Flavor
• Oil: traditional challah uses vegetable oil like canola oil or sunflower oil. However, feel free to substitute it with olive oil for added richness and a deeper flavor profile.
• Eggs: You’ll need 2 eggs to give the bread its characteristic golden texture and 1 additional beaten egg for the wash to achieve that shiny, golden crust.

I love to sprinkle this challah with 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds, but you can also use sesame seeds, flax seeds, chia seeds, or an mix of them.

How to Make This Easy Challah Recipe From Scratch

The first step is to feed your yeast (regardless of the type you use) with warm water and sugar. Avoid using hot water, as temperatures that are too high will kill the yeast. Water warmed to about 110°F (43°C) is perfect. Once the mixture is foamy, whisk in the eggs one at a time, then add the oil and salt, mixing until everything is well blended.

Add the ap flour all at once and mix everything together. You don’t need a stand mixer for this, though you could certainly use one to save your muscles. Once a shaggy mass forms, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 7–8 minutes until a soft, smooth dough forms. If the dough feels too sticky to your hands or the surface, add a little more flour, a tablespoon at a time, until it becomes perfectly tacky. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes before shaping. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes before shaping to relax its gluten network and make braiding much easier.

The Simple 3-Strand Braid (Beginner Friendly)

If you can braid hair, you can braid this challah with your eyes closed. But if you’re new to it, you can refer to the step-by-step visual guide below on how to shape this simple 3-strand challah:

Divide the dough into three equal ropes. Pinch them together at the top and braid just like you would with hair: left over middle, right over middle, then pinch the ends and tuck them under. If the top of your braid looks loose or messy, you can go back to the top, un-pinch it, and re-braid that section to make sure your hallah is tight and even.

Place the shaped challah on your prepared baking sheet and let it rise for about 1 hour in a relatively warm place (Challah is ready when it has nearly doubled in size and looks nicely puffy).

Time to Bake

When your dough is ready to bake , brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash and sprinkle on your favorite seeds.

This challah loaf takes me exactly 30 minutes to bake, but your baking time may vary slightly depending on the heat of your oven. Keep an eye on it—the loaf is perfectly done when it’s deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Let the loaf rest on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Be patient! If you slice it while it’s still hot, the crumb will be too soft; letting it cool ensures those perfectly fluffy slices. But if you just can’t resist, of course, go for it.

This challah stays fresh for up to 5 days, but if you have leftovers, you’re in luck. Challah is one of the best bread for French toast and bread puddings, and it’s personally one of my favorite bread for grilled cheese, too.

4 Success Tips for Making the Best Challah

• Proof your yeast correctly: If the liquid is too hot, it will kill the yeast, and you won’t notice until an hour or more later when the dough doesn’t rise. Even if you’re using instant yeast, I recommend activating it with warm water first. If your yeast doesn’t foam on top after 10-15 minutes, your dough won’t rise—don’t waste your flour on dead yeast.
• Don’t add more flour than you need: I developed this recipe with a lower hydration level than traditional, whole wheat, or gluten-free recipes, which means you will rarely need to add extra flour. If you do find the dough too sticky, add a tiny bit at a time—but remember, you want the dough to be tacky, not dry. Too much flour will rob you of that fluffy texture.
• Use a kitchen scale to ensure your challah comes out perfectly every time. Weigh your ingredients in grams. I even recommend using the scale when dividing the dough into strands; equal pieces ensure your braid is even, consistent, and bakes uniformly.
• Let the braided challah rise in a warm environment. Yeast loves warmth. One of my favorite tricks for colder days is to turn on the oven light (not the oven itself) and place the dough inside. The light bulb generates enough heat to turn your oven into the perfect proofing box for any type of yeast-based bread.