Bread Machine Challah (Jewish Egg Bread)

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4.55 from 37 votes

Bread Machine Challah (Jewish Egg Bread)

Bread machine challah is an easy way to enjoy fresh challah baked right in your own kitchen.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 50

Total Time3

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Jewish

Keyword: Bread Machine, Bread Maker, egg bread

Servings: slices (2 lb loaf)

Author: Ashley Adamant

Equipment

Bread Machine

Ingredients

In the bottom of the pan

1 cup water
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp. honey see note
1/4 cup olive oil

floated on top of the liquid ingredients

4 cups flour bread or all-purpose
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. SAF Instant Yeast or 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

Optional toppings

1 egg white from separated egg above
1-2 tsp. poppy seeds

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place the ingredients into the bread machine pan, starting with the liquid ingredients listed first.
Place the flour on top of the liquid ingredients and create a small well in the flour.
Nestle the salt and yeast in the flour well, then close the lid.
Set the bread machine to bake using the basic cycle and medium crust setting (or equivalent settings on your machine).
Press start and allow the machine to cycle.
Optional: During the final rise (after the last punch down but right before baking), open the lid and brush the top of the loaf with egg white and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Feel free to skip this step for a complete hands-off bread machine challah.
For best results, remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool completely on a cooling rack before cutting.

Notes

The original recipe specified bread flour, but I've had excellent results using King Arthur Flour All-Purpose. Choose a higher gluten flour if you have it available. The recipe also suggested adding 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten, but I have omitted it as it's hard to obtain. Add it if you'd like a higher rise.

Choose either 1 tablespoon of honey or 2, based on your tastes. The original recipe suggests 1 1/2 tablespoons but I like it both as a slightly more savory loaf with a bit less, and a sweeter loaf with a bit more.

This recipe can also be used as a dough recipe, setting the machine to the dough-only cycle and then removing the dough to shape and rise on the counter. That's an easier way to prepare a braided challah loaf without having to hand knead.

For a 1 1/2 pound loaf, use the following ingredient quantities (but follow the same instructions):

3/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1/2 to 1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups flour (bread or all-purpose)
1 1/2 tsp SAF yeast or bread machine yeast
1 tsp salt

Nutrition