Challah with Cinnamon Honey Butter

April 7, 2014 by Melanie 63 Comments

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Last Updated on March 27, 2026 by Melanie

Challah with Cinnamon Honey Butter: Traditional Jewish bread. Beautiful braided bread made with eggs. Dark crust, tender crumb, soft and amazing!!! Perfect alongside your Easter meal.

Challah – pronounced haa·luh.

What is Challah?

Challah is an enriched bread typically braided. It’s enjoyed by the Jewish community. Challah is meant to be dairy-free to be kosher-friendly. Challah is a bread that reminds me most of a brioche. It’s a deep, dark crust because it gets brushed with an egg wash, but the center is a tender, soft crumb. Be sure to try it at least once in your life. It’s delicious! Challah is sweeter than most breads.

My favorite part is the braid. So fun to make and so pretty to present to others for breakfast, brunch or dinner.

Making Challah

Challah does take some hands-on time to prepare the dough and braid it. But I love the outcome so I think the effort is worth it!

How long does Challah stay fresh?

Challah will stay fresh for about 5 days in an air-tight bag on the counter.

What to do with Challah leftovers?

Make French Toast – Challah makes amazing French Toast. Dip it in egg, fry it on the griddle, and serve it for breakfast. So good!

Freeze it. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then in a zip-top bag. Most likely you’ll need the 2-gallon size. Don’t forget to squeeze out all the air before zipping shut. It should last about 2-3 months in the freezer.

Braiding the challah:

The best part was the braiding. So fun. This can be braided in a variety of ways. I’ve braided it with 3 strands or with 6 strands.

For 3 strands: Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll on a lightly floured surface to about 16 inches long. Arrange pieces close together. Pinch the tops together. Begin to braid by pulling one strand from the right over the center strand. Pull the left strand over the center. Continue braiding until you reach the end. Pinch ends together and tuck under. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg wash. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise.

For 6 strands, divide the dough into 2 pieces. One about 2/3 of the dough and the other 1/3 of the dough. Divide the 2/3 piece into 3 equal parts. Braid as above. Divide the 1/3 piece into equal parts, braid as above. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Brush the loaf with egg wash. Arrange the smaller braid on top of the larger braid. Brush with egg wash. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap and let rise.

The first time I decided to make Challah was last Easter. We had just finished Esther: It’s Tough Being a Woman. The study was intense but great. I learned so much about a story that I had read plenty of times before. But this time it took on new meaning to me. Beth Moore really gave insights into hows and whys.

I did the study along with a large group of ladies from our church. After the study, we finished up with a Purim celebration. Wikipedia.org describes Purim as “is celebrated by giving mutual gifts of food and drink, giving charity to the poor, a celebratory meal, and public recitation of the Scroll of Esther. Other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration.

We didn’t serve up any wine. But we did dress up and share traditional foods. My contribution to the celebration was challah served with cinnamon-honey butter.

According to Wikipedia.org “Each single loaf is sometimes woven with six strands. Together, the two loaves have twelve, which may represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Other commonly used numbers of strands are 3, 5, and 7. Occasionally, twelve are used, referred to as a ‘Twelve Tribes’ Challah.”

As i said, this bread is delicious, fun to bread, soft and beautiful to look at it! I hope you enjoy it too.

There is so much history and significance in this bread. I truly think it will be a tradition this time of year to make this bread and share with my family. Thanks for stopping by! Have a beautiful day.

Til we meet and eat again,

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Recipe from: Cook’s Illustrated Baking Book

Other Easter Recipes to Enjoy:

Champagne Baked Ham

Coconut Custard Pie

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