The Best Bread Machine Challah

Mirj, must tell you that this has become my go to recipe every Friday. I have made it using brown sugar and I've tried using honey though I do use less sweet than called for in the recipe. I do have to add quite a bit more flour after the cycle is done to make the dough workable. My trick for a beautiful brown challah is to bake for 10 minutes at 375 and then the next 20 min. at 350. Turns out beautiful every time. Last week I made chocolate meringues out of the left over egg whites. They were a hit also.

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Wow! This was so good and really suprisingly easy. We buy challah bread whenever we can because I thought it would be too hard to make, but I was wrong! I did use regular white sugar because I wasn't sure if you use packed or loose brown sugar. TIP for the NOVICE BAKER LIKE ME :) The dough is very easy to work with and you don't need to put flour down on the surface to roll it out. Just take each strand in your hands and roll it between them like you would to make a play-doh "snake" - letting gravity do some of the work. Next time I might put some foil on top for part of the baking because we like a really light colored crust, but the bread does turn out really beautifully so don't feel that you have too. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe, Mirj!!!

Update: I made these again today - wonderful - but I added a cup less flour than it needed, so I kneaded about a cup into the dough after the bread machine cycle. Then I let it rise for about an hour in a slightly warm oven. I baked it at 350 for 20 minutes with the convection oven and it was To-Die-For!!! Thanks again!

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This is great, thanks for the recipe, only thing I changed was I added 4 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten. It baked up great and looks pretty tastes good toooo !!!

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I make this all the time. It comes out every time. I use 1 cup Splenda in place of sugar and add 1 cup of flour (for a total of 5 1/2 cups). I also use Bread Flour. It comes out perfect every time.

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The best challah I've had to date! It's actually great for rolls too! Thanks for a great dough recipe!

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Excellent bread! This was my first time making (and eating!) challah and I loved it! I did add about an extra cup of flour and thought I would need more but after rising for an hour (I used my Kitchenaid mixer to make the dough), it became much more manageable. My kitchen smelled amazing while the bread was baking and the bread itself was sweet, soft and so airy. So easy to make and well worth it. Thanks so much for the recipe!

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This challah needs so much more flour than it calls for. I weighted my ingredients for accuracy and I agree with other reviewers that said that it was too sticky to deal with. After I took it out of the machine I probably added at least two cups of bread flour. Even then it was still too sticky to braid, but I was able to put it on the baking sheet, let it rise, and then bake it. It came out decent after that.

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I'm an avid Challah fan and was completely disappointed in the recipe. It was VERY sticky and a lot of extra flour had to be added. Even when the dough cycle was completed, it was still sticky and hard to remove from the machine.
After baking it in the over, it was nothing short of bland. I'm very picky and precise, therefore I know there was no errors in ingredient measurements.
I hate having to report negatively on a recipe, but this one fell way short of amazing.

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I hate to be a fly in the ointment and be the only one not gushing about this recipe, but I found it to very sticky and had to add extra flour to get the dough workable and smooth. I ran out of time to make the braid and just put it in a pan. When baked, the flavor was too 'yeasty' for my taste. I may try it one more time using less water, maybe one less egg yolk and certainly less yeast. I looked at other challah bread recipes and most used on ly 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast, as opposed to this recipe that uses 1 Tablespoon.

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Thank you so much for posting this! My preschooler and I make this recipe together by hand every couple of weeks and divide it into four smallish loaves, rather than two large ones (we don't eat much bread during the week). I add a tad more sugar and salt, as well as some golden raisins; I also add honey to the egg wash. When we have leftovers, it makes an amazing bread pudding! I'll miss this challah over Pesach ...

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I don't usually write reviews, and for me to take the time to write a review it means that I REALLY liked something. I love this bread! Easy and delicious! I put a little more sugar 'cause I like my bread sweet. I've been trying a lot of different bread recipes for the past months and this was the only one who turned out really great. This one is a keeper!

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Very easy using the bread Machine. I made one reg. loaf and one braid, both turned out great.

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Tried many, many recipes, and now only use this one. Perfect combo of taste and texture. I have started freezing one challah so that we don't eat two in 24 hours. 2 adults and 2 kids under the age of 5 should not be that piggish! I serve it with honey butter. Tried other recipes because of high cholesterol and there was no comparison. I gave my husband the choice tonight of the 'usual challah' recipe OR a decadent dessert, but not both. He chose the challah. If you knew my husband, you'd know the value of that compliment. Thanks.

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Unbelievable!! I made two loaves yesterday and they are both gone! About to make two more, but I'll have to hide them I think! Thought I was in for a disaster when I took the dough out of the bread machine and it was extremely sticky, but I threw a bit more flour over the dough and kneaded it a little and it was perfect. I've never tasted better challah and wont be buying from the shop again. Thanks for this fabulous recipe!

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Great bread! I used all purpose flour and regular white sugar. I also used the egg whites that I had left over to cover the bread just before I baked it. It was ready in just 15 - 20 minutes. It really was delicious! My kids especially loved it!!!!!

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Great recipe. Definitely the best of the 3 I've tried so far in my bread machine. It did cook quicker than 30 minutes; more like 20.

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I used this dough to make cinnamon swirl bread, and it turned out perfectly. Lovely texture, perfect. I will be using this one again and again.

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This is a beautiful bread and so very easy! I made it in my bread maker (do not use the quick dough setting) and the braiding came out really pretty! The texture is lovely and the dough was easy handling! I followed the directions exactly and was not disappointed! I did bake mine for an addittional 15 minutes, covered with some foil...shiny side up. I sprinkled sesame seeds on mine too and yum yum yum! I highly recommend this recipe! Jelly :wave: Had to add this bit of advice - if you use the longer setting on your bread machine you won't have to let it rise as long... once it is finished with it's cycle in the bread maker. I get lot's of other things done and seems to be much easier! I just made this bread again for the zillionth time and I can't thank Mirj enough for the recipe!!! She is a super star!!! This is my fourth baking experience with this wonderful bread I made it for friends and for the Farm Cooking with Andi of Longmeadow Farm event! I am so proud of this bread! Everytime I make it is is a success!!!

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this recipe produces magnificent bread. The entire Kosher by Design series by Susie Fishbein is outstanding. I've modified the recipe using half whole wheat flower and I get outstanding results. Further, I brush the challah with egg several times while its baking. Note, it directs: "Remove immediately when the machine beeps." Failure to do this can result in a spill over. Great bread!

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