Name: Sourdough Challah
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 12 h 45 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: 4 cups flour; 1/2 cup sourdough starter; 1/2 cup water; 4 eggs; 1/4 cup olive oil; 2 tbsp honey; 1 tsp salt

Jump to Recipe

Sourdough challah is enriched with eggs, honey, and oil to create a springy, golden loaf of bread, perfect for serving during the holidays. With easy step-by-step instructions, you can bake and enjoy this braided bread at home using your sourdough starter.

sourdough challah with butter and knife on blue towel

One of the things I love about sourdough is that you can learn about different traditions and cultures when you try out new recipes. Challah bread is named after the portion of bread that Jews would offer to God at the temple. Today it’s often served on the Sabbath and at holidays like Rosh Hashanah, Purim, and Hanukkah. The number of strands in the braided bread can symbolize different things – for example in a 3 stranded braid, the strands stand for justice, truth, and peace. Isn’t it neat how much history there can be behind something as simple as a loaf of bread?

How are you supposed to eat challah?

Often, challah is served as a side at dinner, and it tastes delicious spread with butter! You can really use it in a variety of ways though. Try using it for French toast for breakfast or as a base for appetizers like ricotta toast or bruschetta. If you have any stale challah, it also works well in an egg bake or toasted for croutons.

Can I leave challah dough in the fridge overnight?

You absolutely can! I would recommend doing the initial proof at room temperature, shaping the dough, and letting it rise again before you refrigerate the dough. You can keep the challah in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking. It will have the best oven spring with 3-12 hours of refrigeration though.

Tips for making Sourdough Challah

The dough is a bit soft and sticky, so it’s easiest to mix it with a stand mixer. If you don’t have one though, you can need the dough by hand for 8-10 minutes to develop the gluten.
Because this is an enriched dough, it probably won’t completely double in size when you let it rise overnight. This is ok as long as you can tell that it has risen and when you press on it, it slowly fills the indent your finger made.
This bread will taste freshest if you eat it within 5 days. I like to store it in a linen bread bag.

Tools you may need

To make this sourdough challah bread, you’ll need a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and a dough hook, measuring cups, a knife, and a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Ingredients you will need

4 cups flour – All-purpose flour is best for this.
1/2 cup sourdough starter – Make sure it’s active and recently fed for best results.
1/2 cup water – Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, you can heat the water a bit before adding it to the dough. This will make your bread rise a little faster if you’re baking in the winter.
4 eggs – They make the dough so fluffy and rich!
1/4 cup olive oil – You can also use coconut or avocado oil.
2 tbsp honey – If you prefer, you can use maple syrup instead.
1 tsp salt – Kosher salt works well here.

How to make Sourdough Challah

Prepare the dough:

Crack 3 of the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in the sourdough starter, honey, and olive oil.

Use a paddle attachment to mix the wet ingredients together on medium speed. This should take about a minute.

Add in the flour and salt and mix on medium speeed to combine. The dough will be quite crumbly at this point.

Pour in the 1/2 cup water and continue to mix so that the dough comes together and forms a ball. If the dough is still crumbly, add in a little more water, 1 tbsp at a time until the dough forms a ball.

Switch out the paddle attachment for a hook attachment and mix the dough on medium speed for 8-10 minutes. A smooth ball of dough will form around the mixing hook.

After this, cover the dough and let rise until puffy. It will not quite double in size because this is an enriched dough, but it should still rise noticeably.

Shaping the dough:

Remove the dough from the bowl and set it on your work space sprinkled with flour.

Divide the challah dough into 3 sections, and roll each section into a long log.

Place the sections next to each other. Bring one of the outside sections to the middle, crossing it over the middle section. Next, bring the outer section on the other side to the middle, and cross it over the new middle piece.

Continue braiding the loaf, and tuck the ends under the braid at the end. Tuck the ends of the braid under at the top of the loaf as well.

Place the braided loaf on a piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour. Cover with a towel and let it rise for 2-4 hours until puffy.

Refrigerate the proofed bread until you’re ready to bake it, up to 24 hours.

Baking the dough:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, and use the convection setting if you have it.

Whisk the last egg in a small bowl with 1 tbsp of water.

Brush the egg wash over the top of the braided bread.

Bake the challah for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Hungry for more sourdough recipes?

If so, make sure to head over to the Kitchen Counter for lots of baking inspiration! Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:

Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread

If you make this recipe and enjoy it, let me know in the comments section below! You can also tag me on instagram @oldfashionedinspiration with a picture of your creation.