Challah for Shabbat starts with a clear plan: which recipe you will use, how many rising stages it includes and which shape you want to make. For a first attempt, getting to know one dough and a simple shape is easier than changing the ingredients, filling and braid all at once.
Choose a recipe and read it through
Browse our Shabbat recipes for baking ideas. One specific example is round Sephardic challah, which includes ingredients and preparation instructions in the Russian original. Its round shape is described for the High Holidays; it is not a braiding tutorial. Use the quantities and baking settings from your chosen recipe.
For a braided loaf, also see the Jewish festive challah recipe. Its Russian original describes dividing the dough into ropes and braiding. It is another existing recipe, rather than alternative proportions for the round challah.
Five steps for an unhurried preparation
- Make an ingredient list and prepare a bowl, baking tray and work surface. Read the whole recipe before mixing: important pauses may appear halfway through.
- Measure the ingredients and mix in the stated order. Avoid combining proportions from different recipes, especially on your first attempt.
- Allow time for each rise and rest. Your schedule should include shaping, the final proof and cooling, as well as baking.
- For a simple braid, divide one loaf’s dough into three equal ropes and join the top ends. Move the right rope over the middle, then the left over the new middle. Repeat without pulling too tightly and tuck the ends underneath.
- Follow your chosen recipe for the final proof, glaze and baking. Let the loaf cool; recording its shape and your preparation schedule can help next time.
When you want to try another shape
The site has video workshops for wheat-sheaf challah for Shavuot and key-shaped challah. Watch the hand movements before shaping your dough. These workshops contain the original videos and introduce festive forms; they do not replace your chosen recipe.
Challah separation is a separate subject
Hafrashat challah concerns setting aside a portion of dough. Its application depends on the ingredients and flour quantity, rather than an attractive braid. Start with our challah separation collection and the Chabad guide; clarify questions about your batch and the blessing beforehand.
Common questions
Must I begin with a complicated braid?
You need not make your first attempt elaborate. Begin by learning how the chosen dough behaves, then explore decorative braiding.
Why are the recipe and challah separation covered separately?
The recipe explains baking; the separation articles explain the mitzvah and its conditions. The bread’s name alone does not determine whether a blessing is required. For the two meanings of challah, see the Chabad explanation.