Bread Machine Challah (Jewish Egg Bread)

4.52 from 35 votes

Bread Machine Challah (Jewish Egg Bread)

Soft, golden, egg-rich challah in the bread machine. An easy way to enjoy this traditional Jewish bread for Shabbat dinner, holiday meals, or French toast. Includes amounts for 2-pound and 1 1/2-pound machines.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 50

Total Time3

Course: Bread

Cuisine: Jewish

Keyword: Bread Machine, bread machine challah, bread machine challah recipe, Bread Maker, bread maker challah, challah in bread machine, easy challah, egg bread, Jewish egg bread

Servings: slices (2 lb loaf)

Author: Ashley Adamant

Equipment

Bread Machine

Ingredients

In the bottom of the pan

3/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. olive oil

floated on top of the liquid ingredients

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

Optional toppings

1 large egg white beaten
1-2 tsp. poppy seeds or sesame seeds, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the liquid ingredients to the bread pan first: water, eggs, honey, and olive oil. There is no need to beat the eggs ahead of time.
Add the flour on top, covering the liquid completely.
Make a small well in the center of the flour. Place the salt on one side and the yeast on the opposite side, so they aren't in direct contact.
Select the Basic White cycle and medium crust setting. Set machine to its 2-pound loaf size setting (or 1 1/2-pound if you measured the smaller amounts in the notes below).
Press start. Watch the first 2 to 3 minutes of kneading. The dough should form a soft ball that pulls away from the sides; it will feel slightly stickier than plain bread dough because of the eggs. Add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time if the dough is too wet, or 1 tablespoon of water at a time if too dry.
Optional: about 1 hour before the cycle ends (after the last punch-down, during the final rise), open the lid quickly, brush the dough top with the beaten egg white, and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds. Close the lid.
Let the machine complete the cycle.
Remove the loaf onto a wire rack. Cool completely (at least 1 hour) before slicing.

Notes

For a 1 1/2-pound bread machine, use these smaller amounts:

1/2 cup water, lukewarm
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp honey
2 1/4 Tbsp olive oil
2 1/4 cups bread or all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp SAF instant yeast

Do not scale up beyond 2 pounds. Egg-rich challah dough rises dramatically more than plain bread dough. The 2-pound amounts above fit a standard 2-pound machine all the way to the top with no room to spare. Trying to make a larger version overflows the pan and bakes onto the heating element.

Yeast conversions:

SAF instant yeast and bread machine yeast are the same product; use the amount listed.
Active dry yeast: add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp more, dissolved in the water for 10 minutes until foamy. Not compatible with the delay timer.

Honey: 1 1/2 Tbsp produces a lightly sweet traditional challah. Use 1 Tbsp for a more savory loaf, or up to 2 Tbsp for a sweeter dessert-style loaf. Do not exceed 2 1/2 Tbsp; the bread browns too quickly.

Skip the delay timer. The eggs are perishable and shouldn't sit at room temperature in the pan for more than an hour or two before the cycle starts.

Flour measurement matters. Spoon flour into the cup and level rather than scooping (which compresses), or use a scale: 1 cup all-purpose = 125 g; 1 cup bread flour = 130 g.

Storage: 3 to 4 days at room temperature in a bread bag. Do not refrigerate. For longer storage, slice and freeze. Day-old challah is the absolute best for French toast.

Common troubleshooting:

Loaf overflows the machine: you used the larger recipe in a too-small machine. Always size down. If overflowing despite using the right amounts, reduce yeast by 1/4 tsp.
Loaf collapses in the middle: over-rise (reduce yeast 1/4 tsp), water too warm, or dough too wet (add 1 Tbsp flour during kneading).
Dense loaf: old yeast, too much flour from compressed measuring, or salt touching yeast.
Dry result: add 1 to 2 Tbsp extra water, or use bread flour (which holds moisture better than AP).

Braided challah variation: Use the dough cycle. When dough cycle finishes, divide into 3 pieces, roll into 14-inch ropes, braid, place on parchment-lined sheet. Rise 30 to 45 minutes, brush with egg white, sprinkle seeds, bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Round challah for Rosh Hashanah: Same dough-cycle method, but shape into a long rope and coil into a tight spiral.

Nutrition