Your Friday Baking Project: Challah

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In a follow up to my recent bread issue, I wanted to share my challah recipe! Challah is a great bread to start with (it’s a little more complicated than a loaf of bread but not by much) and it’s absolutely delicious. Braiding techniques abound—I do a tight, simple three strand braid (and a four strand round variation for Rosh Hashanah) and there are many tutorials if you’d like to experiment. It does take a few hours, but there’s not a ton of active time, so it’s great if you’re working from home on a Friday.

Challah Bread:

One of my earliest food memories is making challah with my mom on Friday afternoons. We used a bread machine back then, which handles the kneading steps. I’ve since learned to make it by hand, which means you can make it anywhere with no special equipment. I’ve made challah in kitchens from Guatemala to New Orleans and it never fails. Your bread will be slightly different than mine due to a host of reasons: the weather where you are, the temperature of your kitchen, the humidity. Any way you slice it, it will be delicious. 

Ingredients:

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (one packet) —I recommend buying at least two packets in case your yeast is dead

¼ cup plus one teaspoon honey