Recipe from Myrna Aronson
Adapted by Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 3 hours 40 minutes
- Rating
- 5(1,696)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Made with extra-virgin olive oil, this challah is especially rich and complex tasting. A little bit of grated citrus zest, if you choose to use it, adds a welcome brightness to the soft, slightly sweet loaf, which is also flavored with orange juice. (Don't use store-bought orange juice with preservatives; it can inhibit yeast growth. It’s best to squeeze the oranges yourself.) If you’d prefer a more classic challah, substitute a neutral oil such as safflower or grapeseed for the olive oil and leave out the zest.
This recipe makes one large loaf (about 1 pound). Feel free to double it if you’re feeding a crowd or if you’d like to toss one loaf into the freezer, where it will keep well for up to 3 months. —Melissa Clark
Featured in: The Golden Secret to Better Challah
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Ingredients
Yield:1 loaf
- ½cup/118 milliliters fresh orange juice at room temperature (from about 2 medium oranges; see tip)
- 2¼teaspoons/¼ ounce/7 grams active dry yeast (1 packet)
- ⅓cup/78 milliliters olive oil
- 3large eggs, at room temperature
- 1large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 3tablespoons/37 grams sugar
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ to ½teaspoon grated orange or lemon zest, to taste (optional)
- 3 to 3½cups/360 to 420 grams bread flour, plus more for kneading dough
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
252 calories; 10 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 177 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine orange juice and 1 tablespoon water. Sprinkle yeast over top and let sit until frothy, about 5 minutes.
Step
2
Add oil, 2 eggs, 1 yolk, the sugar, the salt and the zest, if using, and beat with a dough hook until just combined. Add in flour, 1 cup/125 grams at a time, until dough comes together into a sticky mass. You may or may not use all of the flour, so at the end, add it gradually. The dough should come away from the sides of the bowl but not be at all stiff. You’re looking for a slightly sticky, soft dough.
Step
3
Transfer dough to floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl and turn the dough over. Cover bowl with a clean dish towel and let rise in a draft-free place until doubled, about 1½ to 3 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. (It may take longer in colder kitchens.) Press down dough to expel all the air, cover bowl, and let rise for another 45 minutes.
Step
4
In a small bowl, make egg wash by combining the remaining 1 egg with 1 teaspoon water. To make a classic braided challah, cut dough into three equal pieces and roll them each into ropes 12 inches long. Or, to make a braided round loaf, cut dough into six equal pieces and roll them each into thinner ropes 12 inches long.
Step
5
Braid the challah: If you are making a classic challah with three ropes, just braid them into a loaf, tucking the edges under. To braid it into a round loaf, first lay three ropes parallel to one another on the work surface, leaving 1 inch between them. Take one of the remaining ropes and hold it perpendicular to the three ropes, across the center. Weave that rope through the three ropes, as if you were creating a lattice for a pie; leave the edges free. Repeat with remaining two ropes. The resulting shape should look somewhat like a pound or number sign, but with a woven center. Then, starting from the ends of the three ropes closest to you, braid the loose edges of the ropes and pinch the ends together. Repeat with the remaining ends of the ropes; you should end up with a lattice in the middle with 4 braids radiating out from it. Tuck the braids underneath the lattice to create a round loaf, place on a small rimmed baking sheet, then brush with egg wash. Let rise uncovered for 45 minutes.
Step
6
Meanwhile, heat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the middle. Gently brush a second coat of egg wash on the dough, then bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until challah is a deep rich brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. (When it starts smelling like freshly baked bread, start checking.) Cool on a wire rack before serving.
Tip
- Do not use store-bought orange juice with preservatives; it can inhibit yeast growth. It’s best to squeeze the oranges yourself.
Ratings
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1,696
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Cooking Notes
Melissa Clark
You don't need to warm the orange juice, but it is important to use freshly squeezed juice without preservatives. Also if your juice is cold (right out of the fridge) and your kitchen cool, it can take 3 hours for the dough to rise, so don't give up! We are adding this to the recipe. Warming the juice can make the dough rise faster, but it can also mute the flavor of freshly squeezed juice, especially if it reaches a boil. If you do warm it, only heat it to 110 degrees F.
TJW
You have to heat the OJ to 105-110* F as you would water. She omits this step from the recipe but it is critical.
S Snedeker
A hint--let the dough rise in your electric oven with the oven light on. The oven light provides just enough warm to encourage rising. Also, use 1T. of "Saf-instant" yeast (Whole Foods) as your yeast source. You can buy this yeast by the pound and keep it in the freezer. Using the zest of a "Halos" mandarin orange worked really well.
Jane
I made this during our corona virus shelter-in-place. I followed the directions exactly, (did NOT warm up the OJ; DID use freshly squeezed.) The dough rose in a barely warmed oven since our house is cold. The first rise took 2 hours. I braided the circle. The bread was beautiful! The bread was delicious! The bread was therapeutic because I've been having trouble staying with anything that required concentration for too long. This was the all-day, big-result project I needed!
betsy shuster
i've often made this with canola oil ( i got the recipe from myrna's friend gracie, in providence, ri!) but i have 2 hints. when i let it rise, i put parchment paper under the dish towel so i don't get such a sticky mess. i also like to add a touch of honey to my egg wash for a bit of extra sweetness! delicious!
beth
I have been making this recipe for a long time and have some suggestions after reading all the comments:-if you want to omit oj, use water 1 tsp sugar instead-if you don’t have olive oil, use veg/canola-I am alone so I cut the dough into 4 pieces after second rise and freeze 3 in bags with a little flour. Let frozen dough completely thaw before baking. Each quarter makes enough for Shabbat plus a serving of French toast on Sunday!
Matt
My go-to challah recipe. Makes an amazing challah. Definitely use fresh oranges. But - It’s not the temperature of the OJ or the freshness of the yeast - this challah just takes a long time to rise - it’s the eggs extra yolk all that olive oil. Give it time! Plan ahead!
Andre
I recently discovered the yogurt setting on my Instapot for proofing. It worked very well with the challah in a round shape. Just drop the dough into it on a piece of parchment paper. I could use the same piece for all three rises.
Mister Whippy
My 11 year old daughter Ingrid just made this recipe, to the letter, and it has produced a beautiful looking and very tasty loaf. I hung out in the kitchen to QB any safety issues and only had to help with handling the dough, which we made by hand. Melissa, thank you.
Rachel Sesset
The dough did not riseI wish the recipe was corrected to state the orange juice needed to be warm
Betsy
This came out amazing. One note: it took almost twenty minutes for the yeast to activate so have patience
TJW
Incredible challah. I let the braided challah rise for 90 minutes (instead of 45). It was gargantuan and fluffy and was perfect after 20 minutes.
Alicia
This was wonderful. I used room temperature apple cider instead of orange juice because that’s what I had. It was deliciously moist and made for some great grilled sandwiches later in the week.
Amalya
This challah didn't rise very much, which resulted in a doughy chewy baked finished product. While I was not impressed with the crumb or texture of the dough, the flavour was phenomenal. Do not bake at 375! - You will scorch your bread on the outside and have an unbaked centre.
stellar
This is my favorite challah recipe and I use it frequently. A few weeks ago I didn’t have any fresh oranges, so I used fresh squeezed lemon juice, a little sugar and some warm water to get the yeast started, then topped with poppy seeds before baking. Delicious! Lemony, fragrant, great texture. I haven’t gone back to oranges since.
Cate
We make this recipe regularly and it makes a wonderful challah. I've started doing a little more zest than what the recipe calls for and the flavor is delightful. Otherwise I follow the recipe exactly.
Ellen
I added chocolate chips and it was AMAZING.
Colleen
For all the folks who want to double the recipe -I've made this recipe so many times and finally decided to double it. My house is a bit cold so I popped the dough into the oven with just the light on for the last hour of the first proof.First proof - 4 hoursSecond proof (3 braided loaves) - 2 hours3 loaves in total, about 18 minutes per loaf at 350 degrees. Definitely use a thermometer to check for 190 in temp. At 190 it's done!
Saddle Hollow
This is my favorite Shabbat challah all year round.I keep these temps with me: yeast activates best: 105-115 Fdough rises best: 80-90 Frich dough is done: 190-200 F
joel s
i've been using honey instead of the sugar - like the deeper flavor (about 2 tablespoons)
beth Steinmetz
Someone had to try store bought OJ here. I used Tropicana with no issues. Microwaved it for 25 seconds just to remove the chill. Worked perfectly!
Lee
This would really benefit with a video for the braiding of a round loaf. Very confusing without.
Miriam
Any experience with cold proofing at any point in this recipe? Joy of Cooking cold proofs the second rise in their challah recipe and wonder if anyone has tried that with this version.
sara
Made exactly as directed. Perfect and delicious with a subtle orange flavor. Next time I would increase zest and add raisins. The whole house smells amazing !
3 Times A Charm
I have been cooking a lot of years but I am still not good at it. Yesterday was my third attempt at making this challah. This time I waited longer for the yeast to activate and at least 3 hours for the first rise, and more than 45 minutes for 2nd. My 2 oranges didn't make 1/2 cup juice so added Xtra water. Result? Amazing. Everyone loved. Ha.
Ana Z
The orange zest is such a great touch. I was able to mix the ingredients by hand. Don’t sweat it if you don’t have a stand mixer.
djm
Wonderful challah! I used store bought orange juice without preservatives and it worked just fine— Florida’s Natural. I’m sure others would be as well.
Katherine Eckhouse
I LOVE this recipe. It's easy and delicious and the round, woven loaf is beautiful! I always make a double recipe so we can eat one right away and freeze the other - or gift it! I recommend baking at 350 degrees F for slightly longer (35 to 40 minutes). I have never warmed the orange juice. I leave out the orange zest, because it's so flavorful without. My house is cool, so I put the heavy ceramic dough bowl on a heating pad set to low. Does wonders! The rising times are spot on.
Jennie D.
Makes great rolls! Cut into 8-10 pieces, roll into balls, pinch and tuck ends into bottom; space out evenly on parchment lined sheet pan (use two pans if making 10). With a sharp knife, cut a ½” deep cross on the top of the buns. Egg wash. Refrigerate until 2 hours before ready to bake or let rise 45 minutes uncovered. Egg wash #2 and sprinkle some with everything bagel topping or whatever you fancy. Bake 10 rolls for 15 min or 8 for 18 min.
eve
made my best challah yet with this recipe. i didn’t warm the fresh squeezed juice, as some comments suggested to, so the dough’s initial rise was more like 4 hours, but it was well worth the wait. after 35 minutes in the oven the bake was perfect and the texture was spot on. will definitely make for all the big holidays that permit yeast :)
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