Easy Challah bread with honey + sea salt (in 5 mins)

Golden, soft, and beautifully braided, this honey and sea salt challah bread is a showstopper that’s surprisingly simple to make. With just five minutes of hands-on time, you can create a bakery-worthy loaf that’s perfect for sharing, gifting, or simply enjoying warm from the oven.

It's been said before but one thing I never expected from blogging was 'meeting' people.

When I stumbled upon The Cafe Sucre Farine a few months ago I struck and instant friendship with Chris, a very very lovely lady all the way from the USA.

Her blog is fantastic.

She makes the most delicious looking recipes, photographed by her wonderful husband and even shares a few posts about her gorgeous grandchildren.

Today I (and you) am lucky enough to have Chris as a guest of Claire K Creations sharing yet another fabulous recipe.

Thanks so much Chris!

So without further ado I shall hand you over to Chris...

Hello all you folks in Claire-land!

I've loved getting to know Claire and read her fun, interesting and creative blog each day! I'm never disappointed and always learn something new.

I'm feeling right at home with you here because.…………... if you're a friend of Claire's I already know I'm going to like you!!

It’s been said before but one thing I never expected from blogging was ‘meeting’ people.

When I stumbled upon The Cafe Sucre Farine a few months ago I struck and instant friendship with Chris, a very very lovely lady all the way from the USA.

Her blog is fantastic.

She makes the most delicious looking recipes, photographed by her wonderful husband and even shares a few posts about her gorgeous grandchildren.

Today I (and you) am lucky enough to have Chris as a guest of Claire K Creations sharing yet another fabulous recipe - this time a challah recipe.

Thanks so much Chris!

So without further ado I shall hand you over to Chris…

Hello all you folks in Claire-land!

I’m happy today to share a lovely Challah Bread recipe with honey & sea salt – the Five Minute Way.

This bread is tender, sweet, smells unbelievably delicious while baking and it’s EASY!

What is Challah bread

Challah is a traditional Jewish braided bread made with eggs.

It is eaten on the Jewish Sabbath and other special holidays and surrounded by folklore and tradition and loaded with symbolism.

As I'm not Jewish I won't try and give more details!

What makes Challah bread different to regular bread

Challah dough parades out of the oven with the surface of the dough all shiny, golden and fancy-looking as if it came from a gourmet bakery.

If you’re not familiar with Five Minute Bread, you have definitely been missing out on something wonderful!

But after today, you’ll know the secrets AND how amazingly simple it is to whip up these awesome breads which require no kneading and honestly, take just five minutes to prepare the dough!

Ingredients

To make honey sea salt challah bread, you'll need just a few simple bread ingredients:

• Hot tap water, filtered
• Dried instant yeast
• Sea salt
• Large eggs
• Honey
• Butter, melted
• All-purpose flour or bread flour
• Olive oil , for greasing the sheet pan (or use parchment paper)
• Egg wash

Instructions

The secret to making 5 minute bread is making up what is like a 'master dough.'

You'll need a really big container to make it like a food storage bucket or a big cake container.

The dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days and baked as needed.

For full instructions, see the recipe below.

Honey Sea Salt Challah BreadI’ve been making all sorts of fabulous five minute bread recipes for several years now, ever since purchasing the book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Being a long time, old school, bread maker, I was way beyond skeptical when I read the simple instructions; throw all the ingredients in a large bucket/ container and stir to combine.

Let the dough rise for an hour or so and it ‘s ready to be shaped into bread, rolls, pizza crust, naans, etc. I mean, really?

Really?? – after all the years I spent meticulously kneading bread dough? I don't need an electric mixer? No dough hook?

I’m here to tell you – REALLY!

It works…. and it works with fantastic results and tons of rave reviews.

But don’t take my word, try it yourself, check out the recipe to find out how you too can become an artisan bread maker!

Variations

If you want to change it up a little, you could add sesame seeds or poppy seeds to the top of the dough.

Maple syrup could be used in place of the honey.

Oh, and if you happen to have what we at The Café, call YIP or Yeast-Intimidation-Phobia, have no worries – this bread breaks all the yeast rules! :)

Well, it’s been fun visiting – I love the sunny summertime you’re experiencing in Australia – it’s still quite chilly where I live in North Carolina, USA. but I do need to get back!

Have fun baking and you’re always welcome at The Café Sucré Farine ! ~ Chris

P.S. Next week is Breakfast is Beautiful Week at The Café!

If you need some fun, healthy, easy ideas for breakfast – and maybe a delicious “splurge” (or two), be sure to check in each day!

Recipe

Honey sea salt Challah bread (in 5 minutes) - a guest post from The Cafe Sucre Farine

Golden, soft, and beautifully braided, this honey and sea salt challah bread is a showstopper that’s surprisingly simple to make. With just five minutes of hands-on time, you can create a bakery-worthy loaf that’s perfect for sharing, gifting, or simply enjoying warm from the oven.

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Course: Snack

Cuisine: Snacks and sweets

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Chilling & rising: 4 hours hours

Servings: 12

Calories: 437kcal

Author: Claire Cameron

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ¾ cups hot tap water
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons granulated yeast
• ▢ 1 tablespoons salt
• ▢ 4 large eggs lightly beaten
• ▢ ½ cup honey
• ▢ ½ cup butter melted
• ▢ 8 cups All-purpose flour
• ▢ oil for greasing the sheet pan
• ▢ egg wash 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
• ▢ good quality sea salt I like Maldon Sea Salt

Instructions

• Place the hot tap water, honey and yeast in a large lidded container (one that will hold at least 5 quarts - I use a food storage bucket). 
• Mix well, add the eggs and stir again. 
• Mix in the butter, salt and flour; stir well with a large wooden spoon or a large sturdy whisk until all the flour is incorporated.
• Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 1 ½ -2 hours. The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is much easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 5 days. Beyond 5 days, freeze in 1-pound portions in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 4 weeks. Defrost frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before using. Then allow the usual rest and rise time.
• When you're ready to start baking, oil the baking surface of a baking sheet. Remove half of the dough from the bucket onto a well floured surface. (I use one of these to transfer the dough, so handy!) Return the rest of the dough to the refrigerator if not using.
• Turn the dough several times to coat well with the flour. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces, using a dough scraper or knife. 
• Again, turn each ball of dough to coat with flour, then roll the balls between your hands, stretching, to form each into a long rope. If the dough resists shaping, let it rest for 5 minutes and try again. The longer and thinner you make your "ropes" , the longer and thinner your finished loaf will be. If you want a plump, full loaf just leave your ropes a little shorter and fatter. I made mine about 14 inches long. Try to make each rope the same length.
• Using wet hands, line up your three pieces of thin rope in front of you on a work surface. Braid the ropes, starting from the center and working to one end. Turn the loaf over, rotate it, and braid from the center out to the remaining end. This produces a loaf with a more uniform thickness than when braided from end to end. There is a very helpful tutorial on braiding bread here
• Allow the bread to rest and have a second rise on the prepared cookie sheet for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes (or just 40 minutes if you’re using fresh, unrefrigerated dough) or until puffy and doubled in size. Rising times will vary depending on your weather. 
• Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). When dough is doubled in size, brush all over with the egg wash, then sprinkle liberally with sea salt. 
• Bake near the center of the oven for about 25 minutes. Smaller or larger loaves will require adjustments in baking time. The challah is done when golden brown, and the braids near the center of the loaf offer resistance to pressure. 
• Allow to cool on a wire rack before slicing or eating (if you can!).

Nutrition

Calories: 437kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 667mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 316IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 4mg

Have you made this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think. Tag me on Instagram @clairekcreations