Sweet Round Challah for Rosh Hashanah

A beautiful round challah belongs at the center of every Rosh Hashanah table, and this recipe is designed to make getting there surprisingly easy. This is nearly the same round challah recipe you’ll find in A Year of Jewish Joy. In the book, I pair it with my favorite Rosh Hashanah challah filling, a warmly spiced date caramel. Here, I’ve opted for a simpler brown sugar and raisin filling that’s every bit as festive and a little easier to pull together. The dough is exceptionally smooth, supple and forgiving, making it a pleasure to roll, braid and shape, while baking up with a soft, lightly chewy crumb and just the right touch of sweetness. Challah does take time because of its rises, so read through the recipe before you begin and give yourself plenty of time to work slowly.

I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale for challah-baking, by the way! It’s a small investment that makes a remarkable difference in the suppleness of your dough and the finished loaf.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comments. Wishing you a sweet and joyful new year!

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Round Challah for Rosh Hashanah

4.8 from 5 reviews

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An exceptionally smooth, supple, forgiving dough that bakes into a beautifully braided round challah with the perfect soft, lightly chewy crumb. A digital kitchen scale is well worth the investment here; measuring flour by weight is the key to achieving the silky, easy-to-braid dough this recipe is known for.

  • Total Time: 4 hours 35 minutes
  • Yield: 2 medium-sized loaves or 1 large loaf, depending on how you choose to divide and braid the dough

Ingredients

For the challah and assembly

  • 1 batch of my challah dough, prepared through the end of the first rise (when the dough has doubled)
  • 1 large egg, for egg wash

For the filling

  • 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup raisins

Instructions

  1. Assemble the challah: Turn the dough out of the bowl onto a clean, unfloured work surface. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, divide it into 8 equal portions for two medium loaves, or 4 portions for one large loaf. If you’re making two medium loaves, set half the portions aside and keep them covered with a towel while you work. Using a rolling pin and working with one portion at a time, roll each into a 5-by-8-inch rectangle (8-by-12-inch rectangle for a large loaf).
  2. Prepare the filling and continue assembling: In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Leaving at least a 1-inch border around the edges, sprinkle the mixture evenly over each rectangle of dough, then scatter the raisins on top. 
  3. Starting at a long edge, roll it into a tight log. Gently stretch and roll with your hands to shape it into a 10- to 12-inch strand (if making one large loaf, stretch to 22 to 24 inches). Repeat with the reserved dough portions.
  4. Form one woven round: Lay 2 dough ropes vertically on your work surface, spaced about 1½ inches apart. Place 2 more ropes horizontally across them so they intersect in a grid. Arrange the ropes so they alternate going over and under one another, just like a woven pie crust. Working counterclockwise, fold each “under” rope over the “over” rope directly to its left. Repeat this fold at each intersection, working your way around the loaf in one full circle of weaving. Once you’ve completed the circle, a new set of ropes will now be the “unders.” Switch directions (now you’re going clockwise) and repeat the process, folding each new “under” rope over the “over” rope to its right. Continue this back-and-forth pattern (one full circle, then switch directions) until the ropes are too short to fold any farther, then tuck any loose ends underneath the finished round.
  5. Repeat this braiding process with the remaining dough to make a second loaf. Transfer both to a parchment paper–­ lined baking sheet, cover loosely, and let rise in a warm spot for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until soft and puffy.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, make the egg wash: Whisk together the egg with 1 tablespoon of water. Brush evenly over the exterior of each loaf. 
  7. Bake until the outside is deeply golden and the loaf feels hollow when tapped (it should register an internal temperature of 190°F on an instant-­ read thermometer), 30 to 35 minutes for medium loaves and 35 to 40 minutes for a large loaf. Let the loaves cool for at least 30 minutes, then serve.

Notes: Once fully cooled, the challah can be wrapped well in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, wrap cooled loaves tightly in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil and a labeled freezer-­ safe bag with the air squeezed out; freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw at room temperature (still wrapped) for at least 5 hours, then remove the bag, foil, and plastic wrap, transfer to a baking sheet, and refresh in a 350°F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Avoid refrigerating the challah at any point; it’ll dry out.

  • Author: Rebekah Lowin
  • Working Time:
  • Diet: Kosher

42 Comments

  2. Hi Rebekah, Do you need to use both all-purpose and bread flour or it is ok to use one flour or the other? Thank you!

    1. hi! it’s okay to use all all-purpose in place of bread flour. I’ve done it several times in 2020 because of shortages and been fine. 🙂 let me know if you have any other questions and feel free to reach out on IG too! @rebekahlowin 🙂 shana tova!

  3. Hi! Is it ok if I let it stand longer than an hour (step 1)? I miscalculated the time of running errands and will be 30 minutes late.

  4. Hi! Is there a reason you recommend covering with plastic instead of a cloth? I would prefer not to use the plastic but wonder if it’s important to the process. We made these loaves once already (making them a second time now) and they were beautiful and delicious Thanks!

    1. hi Sarah! I’m so happy you liked the recipe!! 🙂 I too wish there were a way to do this without plastic—but it’s actually the most ideal because it preserves the most moisture during the rising process. without a serious covering, the dough can get a slightly crusty exterior as it dries out. in fact, a cloth covering might actually expedite that crusty outer layer because it could even ABSORB water. but—many people do use cloth and you can totally try that if it makes you more comfortable. my personal tip (but I’ve never tried it!) would be to throw a well-fitted sauce pan lid on top of your bowl and see how that does. good luck!! can’t wait to hear how it goes & shabbat shalom!

      1. Hi! Thanks for the ideas. I went with the pot lid as a cover and it worked just fine. I have been using this recipe for non-holiday challah, because it is so straight forward, and experimenting with whole wheat flour (about 1/3 whole wheat seems to be ok – not too dense, but it doesn’t rise quite as much) and leaving out the sugar. Love this recipe over all and so does the family!

        1. love hearing that!! 🙂 so happy it’s been working out, and fun to hear about the whole wheat flour / pot lid!

  6. Fluffiest. Challah. Ever. Braiding tutorial was also helpful. Bookmarked, thank you!


  7. Been baking challah for almost five years now and THIS recipe!!! By far the best! Thank you so much. I am so proud of myself. Made the raisin one and the plain one. I’m trying the apple one tomorrow G-d willing. You have just become my favourite. L’shanah tovah umetukah!

  9. This recipe looks delicious. Will it taste just as good if I don’t add the cinnamon mixture to one of the two challahs?

    1. thanks so much, Mara! yes, this is actually the base recipe I use for my year-round challah – so go for it! I loveeee the fluffy texture and hope you do, too. shana tova!

      1. Just making this now with my daughter and We are so excited to taste it! Shana Tova! Xx

  11. Hi! If I want to use the stand mixer to knead instead of my hands, will that still work? How long should I let the mixer knead for?

    1. I’d definitely opt for 35 mins if you’re doing just one loaf, but keep an eye on it because every oven’s different!

  13. I love baking. It’s my favorite hobby. I made this for my girlfriends mom who raised in a Jewish household. After her first bite she began to cry because she said it reminded her of the challah her mom used to make when she was still alive. This recipe is easy, tasty, and authentic.

    1. oh my goodness, that is so beautiful. THANK YOU for sharing the story and kind review; you completely made my day.

  14. Love this recipe! Always turns out great and dough is so easy to work with. Can you substitute instant yeast instead of active dry yeast?

    1. hi Robin! thank you so much, first of all!! and apologies for the late response. i’ve never used instant yeast with my challah (definitely worth a try and a test!), but if that’s all you’ve got, you can absolutely go ahead and use it. you’ll just need to watch your dough carefully and cut down on rising times (possibly quite substantially). 🙂 hope this helps!

  15. Quick question (I wonder if you’ll respond while I’m Still Baking 😉 Do you bake both loaves at the same time, do you rest the second one longer or put it in the fridge, how dies that work?

    1. Hi! Good question!! You can bake them at the same time – I always do – but you’ll need a big enough baking sheet and will want to leave at least 2-ish inches of room between the loaves because they’ll continue to rise in the oven.:) Shana tova!!

    2. hi Rebekah, do you think it would be possible to substitute diced dried apples for the raisins in the filling? I thought it would be great for our Rosh Hashana dinner “apples and honey” theme but didn’t know it that would throw off the liquid ratio in the recipe? P.s. the comments section seems to be default set to all caps – I swear I’m not shouting! Thanks for your help 🙂

      1. oh no! I have to check on that all-caps situation, ha! 🙂 apples do tend to skew things liquid-y, so I’d be concerned about that with fresh fruit—but DRIED apples would be perfectly fine! love that idea!! please let me know how it goes.

  16. question: Is it possible to reduce the water equivalent to another egg? i found 1 tbsp. salt a bit too salty, can it be reduced?

    1. hi! yes, you can definitely reduce the salt – I actually sometimes add *more,* ha! to each their own. I’m not sure about the water/egg, but worth trying if you’re curious!

  17. What if I need to let one of the risings happen for 3 hours to work with my day? Is that a problem? Also, is it really eggy? I’ve always used more eggs in my challah? Thanks so much!

    1. hi! for the first rise, another option might be to make the dough the night before and refrigerate it overnight, then bring it to room temp prior to braiding + second rise + baking. as for the eggs – I’m not sure what you mean by eggy, but I promise you’ll be happy with the taste and texture! 🙂 good luck + let me know how it goes/went!

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