6 Strand Braided Challah Bread Recipe

Learn how to make a beautifully braided 6-strand Challah bread with this easy recipe. This soft, rich, egg-based yeast bread gets its signature look from six strands of dough woven together before baking.

With just a few simple ingredients, you can have freshly baked Challah ready for Shabbat or any special occasion. Get step-by-step instructions for braiding six strands of dough into a gorgeous masterpiece.

Our Challah bread has a soft crust and a subtle sweetness of honey. It’s perfect for tearing and dipping into your favorite sauce or soup.

The yeasty aroma of baking challah is like stepping into your favorite bakery. The bakery-fresh aroma will have you salivating long before it comes out of the oven.

We love sharing this 6-braid Challah with our family on special days. Twisting bread into shapes is fun to do and will wow your friends and family. Blueberry Twist, sweet Russian Sweet bread, and our Apple Star bread are among our favorites!

What is Challah Bread?

A beautifully braided bread made from six strands of yeast dough, traditionally served by Jewish people on the Sabbath and special holidays such as Rosh Hashanah. The dough has more eggs than most bread doughs and is often called “egg bread”, resulting in a rich yellow color and a caramel-colored exterior.

How do you pronounce Challah?

“hall-AH” is the correct pronunciation for this type of bread. The c in ch is silent, and the h at the beginning is pronounced in a more guttural way.

Why is Challah Bread Braided?

The strands of a 6 Braid Challah are supposed to represent the six days of creation and honor the creator while encouraging reflection and prayer during the process of braiding the bread.

What Makes Challah Different from Other Breads?

Our Challah recipe is dairy-free, Kosher Jewish bread. Brioche is a French bread made with a very similar recipe but includes butter instead of oil.

Ingredients for Braided Challah

• Active Dry Yeast. Grocery stores sell packets of yeast and locate them near the spices, baking powder, and baking soda. There are two or three kinds. Make sure you don’t buy the quick yeast or the instant dry yeast. If yeast confuses you, I explain more about it in my Basic Techniques Post.
• Honey. For sweetener to feed the yeast and help the bread rise beautifully.
• Olive Oil. To make kosher bread, use oil as the necessary fat.
• Eggs. A higher number of whole eggs than most bread recipes gives this Challah a soft texture and beautiful color.
• Salt. For flavor.
• All-Purpose Flour. You could also use bread flour if you bake enough to justify keeping it in your pantry.
• Warm Water. Used for moisture in the dough.

Please note, that the printable recipe card has ingredient quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.

How to Make Challah Bread

1. Mix your water, yeast, and honey and let it stand for four minutes to proof the yeast. When the four minutes are up, your yeast mixture should be frothy. If it is not frothy with bubbles on top your yeast has expired and you need to begin again with new yeast.
2. In a stand mixer, combine the frothy mixture from step one with olive oil, eggs, and salt.
3. Add half of the flour and mix on low. Add the second half in the same way.
4. Continue mixing at medium speed for a few minutes.
5. Place the dough in a greased large bowl, turning it once to coat both sides. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap to rise in a warm place.
6. Cut the dough into 6 equal pieces of dough and roll each piece of the dough into a 20-inch long rope.
   • Note: The oil in the dough should keep it from sticking to your work surface so you shouldn’t have to use flour.

How to Braid Challah Dough

7. Attach the end of 3 ropes by pressing them together. Do the same thing with the other 3 ropes. Press the top of the ropes together. At this point, you should have all 6 ropes. Place them in front of you and separate them (fan them out like an octopus). 

8. Take the rope from the outside on the right and cross over all of them. Then cross the outside rope from the far left and cross over. The rope that is over is brought back to the middle. Then take the second strand from the left. 
9. Preheat the oven to 375°F now so that it will be good and hot when the bread is ready to bake.
10. Once the braid is complete, transfer it to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Using a large bench scraper is my favorite way to move the shaped dough.

11. Allow the shaped dough rise for 30 minutes in a warm draft-free place.
12. Add an egg wash for shine and color on the crust. In a small bowl mix, 1 egg white with 1 teaspoon of water and brush it gently over the bread. dough.
13. Bake in a preheated oven for 23-25 minutes or until a digital thermometer reaches 190°F and golden brown.
14. Remove the bread from the baking sheet and cool completely on a cooling wire rack.

Substitutions & Additions

Dried Fruit. Add raisins or dried cranberries to this challah bread recipe for a sweet touch.

Seeds. You can add sesame seeds or poppy seeds to the outside of the bread before baking for a special touch.

Savory. Add herbs or garlic to the dough.

How To Store Braided Challah

You can keep the Challah at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can I Freeze a 6 Strand Challah?

Yes, Challah freezes great. Place the completely cooled loaf in a freezer-quality plastic zipper bag and keep it on the counter for several days. Use freezer-quality bags that have thicker plastic and are more air-tight than storage bags. It will keep for several months. Thaw at room temperature before slicing.

What’s the Best Way to Reheat Six-Strand Challah?

If you want your bread to be hot, you can heat a slice in the microwave for ten to fifteen seconds. You can also reheat an entire loaf or slices in the oven for five minutes or so. We love toasting Challah bread too.

Tips to Make the Perfect 6 Strand Challah

Check your yeast! Use fresh yeast that has not expired. Keep your yeast in a cool, dry location.

Make sure the dough isn’t too sticky. The dough will be sticky but when pressing on it with your fingers it should not leave any dough on your fingers.

Getting the bread to rise. A warm location is best for getting bread to rise. If you are continuing other meal preparations while the dough is rising, try to set it near the oven and stovetop in your kitchen, but not so close that the heat will kill the yeast. If you have a “proof” setting on your oven, you can place the bread directly in the oven on that setting to rise.

Shape variation. We make a six-strand braid but you can connect the ends to make a round challah.

Always bake bread in a thoroughly preheated oven. The burst of heat is what makes this bread soft and pillowy.

Recipes using Leftover Challah Bread

You should eat challah bread when it is fresh. If you’re lucky enough to have Leftover Challah bread, it makes delicious Bread Pudding or French Toast Muffins!

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.

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This recipe was originally published in October 2022. Information was updated and clarified in January 2024. I did not make any changes to the recipe.