Easy Challah

A beautiful braided loaf that is super simple to shape.

Easy Challah

Yield

1 loaf 1 loaf

Difficulty

Easy Easy

Prep Time

10 minutes 10 minutes

Bake Time

25 to 30 minutes 25 to 30 minutes

Rise Time

1 hour 1 hour

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Select Your Yeast

Active Dry Yeast
RapidRise® Instant Yeast or RapidRise® PLUS Instant Yeast
Active Dry Yeast
RapidRise® Instant Yeast or RapidRise® PLUS Instant Yeast

Ingredients

  • ½ cup warm water (100° to 110F)
  • 1 (2¼ tsp.) envelope Fleischmann's® Active Dry Yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter OR margarine, softened
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2–2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • Optional, poppy seed
  • ½ cup warm water (100° to 110F)
  • 1 (2¼ tsp.) envelope Fleischmann's® RapidRise® Instant Yeast or RapidRise® PLUS Instant Yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter OR margarine, softened
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2–2½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • Optional, poppy seed

Directions

  1. Combine yeast, water and sugar in a large mixer bowl. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes to allow yeast to foam. Add 1 cup flour, butter and salt and mix at medium speed for 2 minutes using paddle attachment on electric mixer until well blended. Add two eggs and enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Switch to dough hook and knead on high speed 4 to 6 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
  2. Place in large bowl sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spray dough with nonstick cooking spray and cover. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size; about 30 to 45 minutes.
  3. Punch dough down. Remove dough to lightly floured surface; pat dough and shape into an approximate 10 x 6-inch rectangle. Divide into 3 equal strips by making two cuts with a sharp knife or pizza cutter vertically starting 1½ inches from the top; keeping one end of dough intact. Braid strips and place into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover; let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
  4. Beat egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water; brush over loaves. Sprinkle with poppy seed, if desired. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Let cool on wire rack 5 minutes before removing from loaf pan.

Bread Machine Option:

  1. Use this order to add ingredients to bread machine bin: First, place sugar and salt. Second, add butter, eggs water. Third, add flour and yeast. Select dough cycle. When complete, follow the shaping and baking instructions from above.

Tips

Take your stretched-out strips of dough and gently braid them by folding each strip over the other, one by one, as shown in the image above.

Two hands braiding strips of dough

When shaping the dough, take your stretched-out strips of dough and gently braid them by folding each strip over the other, one by one, as shown in the image.

When using Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® PLUS Instant Yeast, the dough will rise to be super light and fluffy so make sure to keep the braids loose so that the dough can rise without stretching the bread braids.

Two hands braiding strips of dough

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