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World’s Best Challah

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 5 reviews

Description

A light and fluffy homemade challah! Made from scratch in just a few easy steps. Served perfectly for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 teaspoon sugar plus 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup warm water, divided
  • 1 tablespoon dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup avocado oil (or any flavorless oil)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 3/4 to 4 cups all purpose flour (you may need more if dough is super sticky)
  • Poppy seeds or sesame seeds
  • 1 egg yolk (beaten with 1 teaspoon water)

Instructions

  1. Rinse a large bowl with hot water then dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/2 cup warm water in the rinsed bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve.
  2. Combine with oil, remaining water, sugar, salt, eggs, and half the flour. Beat well. Stir in the remaining flour. Dough should be sticky. Cover dough and let rest for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed. If dough is still sticky, don’t be afraid to add more flour. The goal is for the dough to be smooth.
  3. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest until doubled, about 30 minutes.
  4. Punch down. Divide dough into 3 equal parts (or more if you are making more than one loaf). Shape into strands. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and braid loosely. Fasten ends securely. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled, about 20-30 minutes.
  5. Brush with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with seeds. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown. Shorten baking time if making smaller loaves.