Reviewed: May 20, 2012

First Challa I tried. Everyone enjoys it and one child throws tantrums for it! I make the dough, let it rise, braid it -.and then freeze it after wrapping in plastic wrap. When I need it, I take the plastic wrap off and let it rise the second time for 3 hours (no extra yeast needed) . I then cook it. I did decrease time of cooking to 35 minutes for a more moist bread.

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Reviewer:

terina777

Reviewed: Apr. 14, 2012

I made 3 braided loafs using 2 ropes for each one (not 3) and 1 small round loaf. I left one plain, the other 2 with poppy seeds and the round one with sesame seeds. This bread was light and good. I brushed some melted butter on 2 of them after they baked. This is the first time I made challah. I have bought it before. I guess I thought this was going to be a little sweeter. It was very good though and easy to make!

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Reviewer:

Vickygloz

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Flushing, New York, USA

Living In: Danbury, Connecticut, USA

Reviewed: Apr. 5, 2012

Be careful when baking - mine only needed 25 minutes instead of the 40 called for

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Reviewer:

mbrenn

Reviewed: Apr. 3, 2012

Excellent bread, bakes up beautifully, smells wonderful and people are always very impressed by how professional it looks! I've never had this recipe fail me.

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Reviewer:

Andrea

Reviewed: Feb. 27, 2012

The dough was easy to make and rose well, but making the long ropes and braiding the dough was difficult. I made 1 braided loaf and put the extra dough in the fridge. The bread looked wonderful when I took it out of the oven, I was impressed with my efforts. But I was a little disappointed when I tasted it...Not a lot of flavor at all... A bit bland for me. Not at all terrible by any means, but I was expecting a bit more flavor after doing all that work. Maybe that was somewhat my fault because I used all purpose flour instead of bread flour (simply because I didn't notice that until I had begun). Good dough to practice with though.

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Reviewer:

Zee

Reviewed: Feb. 26, 2012

I made this in the bread machine and halved the recipe for just one loaf. I needed an egg bread for french toast and bread pudding, and this turned out beautifully! I did have to use almost 4 c. of flour for a half recipe, though.

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Reviewer:

lissalea

Home Town: Orange, California, USA

Living In: Lake Elsinore, California, USA

Reviewed: Feb. 17, 2012

Followed the instruction and I have a few comments. It took more than 7 cups of flower to get the dough elastic enough but not sticky. Secondly while it has risen to twice its size the first and the second time (after braiding it), it came out flat like in the picture. I am used to a bigger challah so I am not sure if baking powder or different type of yeasts were needed. Baking time was and should be less than 45 minutes or the temp recommendations here are incorrect. The bread came out slightly darker than the picture after 38 minutes. Lastly, while the house filled with wonderful scent of baking, the flavor was not that great. Somewhat sweet but nothing else. I would stick to white sugar only and probably more than a 1/2 cup to give it a slightly sweeter note.

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Reviewer:

gedit58

Reviewed: Feb. 17, 2012

Oh wow, this is delicious and beautiful! Sweet and dense but soft. I wish I could post a picture; I curled my 2 braids into C's on my baking stone. I didn't have the seeds needed so we sprinkled on a little caraway and rosemary. It takes forever- but that's good bread!

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Reviewer:

DwayneNAnne

Cooking Level: Expert

Reviewed: Dec. 22, 2011

First time I have made Challah! I love the look of braided bread - it was wonderful in smell, taste and beautiful to look at. I followed the recipe exactly except I used butter instead of margarine.

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Reviewer:

Lefahy

Home Town: Martinez, California, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 11, 2011

I have tried dozens of recipes for Challah, and have been making it every weekend for years. This recipe is foolproof. I make a few simple changes, nothing so significant that I would rate the recipe anything below five stars. I use canola oil instead of melted margarine (we have a soy allergy in the family and it is easier), and I add a tiny bit more sugar- maybe an extra tablespoon. Instead of sprinkling with poppy seeds, I use coarse sea salt or sugar- sometimes a combination of both! Love this Challah, thank you Miriam. Shabbat Shalom!

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