My Favorite Challah Recipe • 5★

Updated December 28, 2025

Evan Sung for The New York Times

The word challah originally meant only the small portion of dough that was put in the oven when baking bread as a reminder of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It has evolved into the twisted, sweet, almost brioche-like bread that was brought to America by immigrants from Central and Eastern Europe. Although straight loaves of braided challah are eaten throughout the year, round challahs, often studded with raisins, are served for Rosh Hashana, and also for Yom Kippur and Sukkot, the holidays celebrating the New Year and the fall harvest. Throughout the years, I have picked up tips from challah bakers throughout this country and in Europe and Israel. For example: Several risings make a better loaf, and if you want an especially brioche-like texture, let the dough rise slowly in the refrigerator for one of the three risings. The secret to a glossy loaf is to brush with an egg wash twice, once just after braiding and then again just before baking.

Featured in: A Challah of Prayers and Memories

SaveLog in or sign up to save this recipe.

GiveSubscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyoneAs a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.SubscribeLog In

Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

Share this recipeCopy linkEmailPinterestFacebookXWhatsAppReddit

Print this recipeInclude recipe photoPrint RecipeLog in or sign up to print this recipe.

1 ½ packages active dry yeast (about 3 ½ teaspoons)

1 tablespoon plus ½ cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil, more for greasing bowl

8 to 8 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Poppy or sesame seeds for sprinkling

Step 1In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water.

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water.

Step 2Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.)

Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt. Gradually add flour. When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. (You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.)

Step 3Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour.

Step 4To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 ½ inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.

To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 ½ inches wide. Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all strands are braided. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. Make a second loaf the same way. Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between.

Step 5Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.

Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves. Either freeze breads or let rise another hour.

Step 6If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking. Then dip your index finger in the egg wash, then into poppy or sesame seeds and then onto a mound of bread. Continue until bread is decorated with seeds.

If baking immediately, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again. If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking. Then dip your index finger in the egg wash, then into poppy or sesame seeds and then onto a mound of bread. Continue until bread is decorated with seeds.

Step 7Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack.

Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden. Cool loaves on a rack.

Recipe Quantities by Mass

3-1/2 tsp. active dry yeast = 9.9g 1 tbsp. sugar = 12.6g 1/2 cup sugar = 100g 1/2 cup vegetable oil = 120g 1 tbsp. salt = 17.07g 8 c. to 8-1/2 c. AP flour = 960g to 1020g

Your illustration shows light bands of crust between the golden dark patches of crust. This comes from the rising in the oven revealing surfaces that had no egg wash. If you want that uniform brown crust, remove the loaf after 15 Minutes in the oven and reapply eggwash to the light areas that have appeared.

This is a beautiful challah recipe. The only problem is that the braiding instructions for the six-braid challah are incorrectly written. My father and I were baking it together and couldn't get the instructions to work (because it unbraids itself as it's written). I suggest an edit to the recipe with instructions more in line with this six-strand challah tutorial, http://toriavey.com/how-to/2010/08/challah-bread-part-2-how-to-braid-cha....

This is a note to self and I’m nit seeing the option to keep it private. There is a lot of really great advice in the comment section. Be sure to read through it before making. Especially interesting as the video about how to braid the bread.

8-8 1/2 cups of flour is way too much! 6 cups of all pupose flour weighs 976 grams. I did not see the gram equivalents until I mixed in the flour, but it was evident that this amount of flour was completely excessive. I ended up adding nearly two cups of warm water in order to be able to mix the dough at all. Please just change the recipe by deleting the cups "measurement" and listing the gramajes weights. Thank you.

Worst challah recipe I've used. So much flour! And why use sugar when honey is the most natural ingredient that was around when challah was first made.

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7199-my-favorite-challah