WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!
A traditional four strand braided challah bread enriched with whole wheat flour and oats made me feel better about eating half a loaf of this rich, delicious, beautiful braided bread.
Step into the world of wholesome baking with our whole wheat challah recipe! Combining the rich tradition of this beloved bread with the goodness of whole wheat flour, we’re bringing you a deliciously nutritious twist on a classic favorite. Get ready to indulge in the sweet aroma of honey-infused dough and the satisfaction of homemade bread that’s both hearty and heavenly.
Challah is a bread of celebration in Jewish tradition. At a time when white flour was considered a luxury, its use was reserved for either the wealthy or for festive events. In Judaism, the Sabbath is a weekly holiday, and these fancy shaped loaves made with white flour were seen as a fitting way to honor the Sabbath.
I hadn’t made challah before or done a four strand braid, so the video Ruth provided helped to easily explain the braiding technique. The dough was easy to work with and the braid came together quiet easily.
The whole wheat flour and oats added a nice texture without weighing down the bread. I’m fairly sure I ate more than my fair share of one loaf of this beautiful bread.
The second loaf I made shorter and fatter so it would fit perfectly on my pretty new Cook for the Cure Pass the Plate plate.
Such a fun and easy way to make a difference. I’m looking forward to checking out my plate’s registration and seeing how many times the plate I bought has been passed and where it ends up.
Thanks Ruth for the great recipes, instructions and videos. I’m sure this won’t be the last challah bread I bake.
WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?
Enter your email below and we will send it straight to your inbox. Plus you will get great new recipes from us every week!
Whole Wheat Challah
Ingredients
- 2 packages dry yeast (4 ½ teaspoons )
- 1 cup warm water, 100°F
- ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup one stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 – 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp. water for glaze
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water. Allow to stand about 5 minutes until foamy.
- With paddle attachment beat eggs, sugar, butter, whole wheat flour, 2 cups all purpose flour, oats, and salt into the yeast mixture.
- Once combined, switch to the dough hook and knead for 5 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour a little at a time if needed.
- Form dough into a round, compact ball. Turn in oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm area until doubled, approximately 2 hours.
- Once dough has doubled, punch down. Cover and allow to rise again for an hour.
- Punch the dough down again, divide in two.
- Take each half of dough and divide into 3, 4, or 6 strands, braid, and place onto parchment covered baking trays. Cover with the towel and allow to rise another hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brush loaves with egg wash. (Sprinkle with vanilla sugar/sesame seeds/poppy seeds/other topping here if desired)
- Bake 20 to 30 min. until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
- Transfer loaves to a wire rack to cool before serving.
Elizabeth
That is absolutely beautiful bread. The shaping is perfect – 4 strands is quite lovely. (I usually do three and have occasionally tried six) What I really like about your challah is that you added whole wheat flour AND rolled oats to the dough.
Very well baked indeed.
Barbara
Barbara, that turned out perfectly! What a gorgeous loaf.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Great job on the DB challenge mum! I love the way that you plaited it! 😀 xxx
Lisa
Barbara..I cannot stop gawkig the photos of your whole wheat challah..they’re so beautiful. It’s so hard to make bread look beautiful, but you’ve got mad photo skills, everything you make always looks beautiful. Your braid is absolutely perfect. I just had this thought that would make a thousand rabbi’s shun me forever. I want a few slices of that delicious looking pork tenderloin below, on your challah! (Nope, lightning did not strike lol)
Baker Street
Wow Barb! Your challah looks gorgeous! Thanks for posting the step by step pictures. It surely helps learning the process. 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes
A perfect challah!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc
omg this looks amazing Barbara! FANTASTIC! Hope you had a great weekend
Delishhh
YUM YUM! I have to make this recipe – i still have not made Challah at home but this just looks gorgeous!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
Stunning! If you lived nearby I’d have you teach me to make a perfect challah! 🙂
Dawn
What a gorgeous challah! This was my first time making challah, but I’m anxious to try whole wheat challah. I can only hope it will turn out as beautiful as yours!
Lynn
Your bread turned out so beautifully! And your pictures make me wish my monitor was scratch and sniff. Sadly, I can only imagine how delicious your bread smelled and tasted. Yummmm.
Jennifer Sikora
Your challah looks delicious. I cannot wait to try making this myself.
Thanks for sharing the recipe
Jennifer
Jen’s Journey
Anula
Beautiful challah! Love the 4 strands plait! 🙂
Pozdrawiam, Anula.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
This is sooo pretty! I’ve only had white challah, and can’t wait to try this!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
I love challah! It’s great that you used partly whole wheat. I’ve tried making challah many many times but never have I had such a beautiful braid. And the Pass the Plate program sounds like something I’d love to participate in so it’s too bad that it’s not available internationally. It’s a great cause and whoever gets the loaf is a lucky person!
Nina
Beautiful one Barbara. You’ve got the perfect braid…looks great:)
Anuja
Beautiful Challh!
Wonderful initiative for the cure program!
Kalyn
That bread is just so gorgeous. It looks like you have mastered that kind of braiding.
Rosa
Wonderful and ever so tempting!
Cheers,
Rosa
Shelley C
Your challah looks amazing – you did a great job braiding it! And I love that pass the plate program – I am definitely going to look into it! Wonderful work on the challenge 🙂