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    Home » Recipes » Bread Machine

    Easy Bread Machine Challah

    Published: Nov 30, 2021 by Tiffany Dahle · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    This quick and easy challah bread machine recipe is perfect for making a simple challah loaf for a family dinner or slicing up for amazing French toast. Cube the bread for the lightest and fluffiest bread pudding.

    A fresh baked challah loaf is in the bread machine pan cooling on a wire rack.

    I've been using challah bread as the key ingredient to my French toast recipe forever! You can find the full recipe in The Ultimate Kids Cookbook but readers have often asked me where to find challah bread, it's not always available at their local grocery store.

    If you've wanted to try challah bread for French toast or one of these amazing bread pudding recipes but can't seem to find it, it takes just 5 minutes to pop the ingredients into a bread machine pan and bake your own.

    The loaf can be frozen and used later if you want to make your special breakfast even easier.

    Jump to:
    • What is Challah Bread?
    • Ingredients
    • Add the Wet Ingredients First
    • Add the Dry Ingredients
    • Watch the Texture
    • Storage Tips
    • Serving Suggestions
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    What is Challah Bread?

    As I was writing The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook, this question came up with the test readers I asked for feedback.

    Challah bread is a traditional Jewish egg bread that is made from water, eggs, oil, and sweetened with just a little honey. The loaf is light and fluffy with a delicate crust and has a beautiful golden color.

    Often challah breads are braided and then coated with a sprinkle of poppy seeds, especially when they are served as part of a special holiday celebration.

    This particular challah recipe is for a simple loaf meant to be enjoyed on a busy day.

    If you have more time, you could add the same ingredients to the bread machine and select the DOUGH program and braid and bake the bread in your oven.

    The Difference Between Challah and Brioche

    This was the key detail that seemed to confuse many of my readers. While challah and brioche have a very similar texture, there is a one main difference between the two:

    While the challah bread is made with more eggs and oil, a brioche is a butter based bread and is sweetened with regular sugar rather than the honey.

    • A copy of The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook sits on a wooden tray with a napkin and a plate of buttered toast.
      The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook

    Ingredients

    The short list of ingredients makes this bread machine recipe extra easy:

    The ingredients to make the challah bread are on the counter next to the bread machine pan.
    • Bread Flour
    • Eggs
    • Canola Oil
    • Honey
    • Instant Yeast
    • Salt

    Be sure to check the recipe card for quantities and full instructions.

    Add the Wet Ingredients First

    As with every bread machine recipe, you want to add the wet ingredients to the bread pan first.

    Be sure you have the paddle attachment in place before you begin!

    Add the water, oil, eggs, and honey to the pan.

    Eggs, water, oil, and honey are in the bread machine pan with the paddle attachment.

    Add the Dry Ingredients

    Next, add the dry ingredients right on top of the wet ones.

    Add the flour, salt, and yeast.

    I always add the salt around the perimeter of the pand and make a small well to add the yeast in the center like this:

    The flour, salt, and yeast have been added to the bread machine pan.

    Watch the Texture

    Pop the bread pan into your bread machine and select the Basic/White program.

    Keep an eye on it as it mixes, the dough starts out fairly wet and the machine may have trouble mixing in the corners of the pan. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the corners if needed.

    As the machine kneads the dough, it should form a smooth ball that is slightly sticky when pressed but not sticky enough to cling to the walls of the pan.

    The dough is being kneaded by the bread machine and shows the proper smooth texture.

    If your bread is sticking to the pan, add a little more flour just 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting for a minute between each addition.

    If your bread is too dry, add more water just 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough comes together.

    You can remove the paddle after the second rise which makes your bread easier to release from the baking pan.

    The entire baking cycle should take about 3 hours and you'll have a warm, golden brown challah loaf:

    The finished challah loaf is cooling in the bread machine pan.

    Storage Tips

    Remove the bread from the pan within the first 5 minutes or so to prevent it from steaming and getting soggy on the bottom.

    Let the loaf cool completely before storing in an airtight bag at room temperature for to 3 - 5 days.

    The challah bread can also be frozen to be enjoyed later.

    Serving Suggestions

    If you're serving this for a special Hanukkah dinner, you may also enjoy my potato latkes and roast chicken or any of these 18 easy Hanukkah recipes for busy nights.

    Otherwise, you could use challah bread to make delicious French toast or use it as a substitution in most bread pudding recipes:

    • Easy Panettone Bread Pudding
    • A serving of bread pudding with sliced pears sits on a plate. A jar of salted caramel sauce sits in the background next to the pan of bread pudding.
      Chocolate pear bread pudding

    If you’ve tried this bread machine challah bread or any other recipe on PeanutBlossom.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
    FOLLOW along on Instagram @peanut.blossom as well as on  Pinterest and Facebook.

    📖 Recipe

    A fresh baked challah loaf is in the bread machine pan cooling on a wire rack.

    Bread Machine Challah Bread

    4.66 from 44 votes
    This challah bread loaf is the easiest homemade bread to enjoy for Hanukkah. The dough could be braided and then baked in the oven if you prefer, but the simple bread machine loaf is wonderful as well. This traditional Jewish egg bread makes absolutely amazing French toast and bread puddings as well.
    TOTAL TIME 3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
    PREP TIME 5 minutes minutes
    COOK TIME 3 hours hours
    YIELD 1 2-pound Loaf
    PIN RECIPE FOR LATER PRINT RECIPE NOW

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup water
    • 2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
    • 1 ½ tablespoons honey
    • ¼ cup canola oil
    • 4 cups (548 g) bread flour
    • 2 teaspoon salt
    • 2 teaspoon instant yeast
    • OPTIONAL: 1 tablespoon poppy seeds

    Instructions

    • Add the ingredients to your bread machine’s baking pan in the order listed from water to yeast.
    • Choose the Basic or White program setting based on your machine’s options. Select the coordinating setting for your loaf size on your machine and press “Start.”
    • When the loaf is done, remove it from the bread pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.
    • OPTIONAL: 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds can be sprinkled over the dough before the third rise if desired.
    COURSEBread Machine
    CUISINEJewish
    AUTHORTiffany Dahle

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Judy Madnick

      March 18, 2023 at 4:00 pm

      5 stars
      The recipe looks wonderful! Can you furnish the recipe for a 1.5-pound loaf?

      Reply
    2. Kathy

      February 12, 2023 at 12:20 pm

      I have the bread In the machine at the moment! You say you can remove paddle after second rise. Would that deflate the dough? Thanks

      Reply
      • Tiffany Dahle

        February 17, 2023 at 6:06 am

        Hi Kathy,
        Most bread machines have an alarm/beep when it is ok to remove the paddles. I just carefully slip my fingers under the dough to grab it, I don't dump the whole dough out of the machine. As long as you're gentle, and do it at the time your machine alerts you, it should work perfectly.
        Tiffany

        Reply
    3. Donna

      January 24, 2023 at 10:33 am

      Does it have to be canola oil? Just wondering why it was emphasized.

      Reply
      • Tiffany Dahle

        February 07, 2023 at 8:54 am

        Hi Donna,
        You'd want to use canola so that the flavor is the same. You wouldn't want to use olive oil, for example. You could also use vegetable oil if you prefer.

        Reply
    4. Meg Dean

      January 15, 2023 at 2:43 pm

      We like our challah a bit on the sweeter side. Would an extra tbsp of honey hurt?

      Reply
      • Tiffany Dahle

        February 07, 2023 at 8:55 am

        If you add an extra tablespoon of honey it could affect the rise. Too much sugar affects how the yeast works in the recipe. But, it would be worth an experiment!

        Reply
    5. Linda S.

      December 18, 2022 at 10:21 am

      So delicious! Came out perfectly!"Thank you for sharing your recipe!

      Reply
      • Lu-Ann Monterville

        January 31, 2023 at 7:36 am

        Could you add cinnamon and raisins to the recipe to make cinnamon raisin challah bread

        Reply
        • Tiffany Dahle

          February 07, 2023 at 8:53 am

          Yes, you could definitely do that! Just add the cinnamon to the dry ingredients and hold the raisins until your bread machine lets you know it's time to add the mix-ins.

          Reply
    6. Linda

      August 23, 2022 at 8:05 am

      I’ve been searching for days for a simple Challah Bread Machine recipe. Thanks so much for your recipe. I haven’t made the recipe yet, but when I do, I will post how it did. Thanks.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Tiffany!
    I believe a great family recipe is one that makes everyone at the table happy, not just the kids. I'm the author of two bestselling cookbooks for kids that are chock full of recipes everyone in your family will love. I'm also the hostess of the best online book club for moms.

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