Make soft, squishy braided bread, minus the effort. My easy gluten-free challah bread recipe is slightly sweet, with a golden, shiny crust and soft, tender crumb. The dough comes together in one bowl, no kneading, and refrigerates overnight to develop taste and texture. No GF bread experience required to pull off this impressive loaf!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get affordable and easy gluten-free recipes delivered each week!
Easy Homemade Gluten-Free Challah
Even with tons of gluten-free bread recipes under my belt, even I was a little intimidated by making a gluten-free challah loaf. I mean, a plaited bread looks impressive (and potentially very frustrating). After experimenting with the recipe, though, I came up with some simple hacks that makes a GF version handedly more effortless than a traditional one.
This egg-enriched bread requires no kneading and replicates the sweet, airy taste and texture of my famous gluten-free yeast rolls with a little shortcut to get a classic look without frustrations. Typically challah is braided and I did give a valiant effort to shape it classically.
However, to compensate for the lack of elasticity in gluten-free flour, so much more had to be added to make a pliable dough. Even then, it was very frustrating to work with, had inconsistent results, and made for a very dense, heavy crumb.
I was more concerned with taste, texture, and ease than following tradition. You can mimic the beautiful humps by using an affordable challah mold. If you would rather use what you have on hand, simply dump the dough in two 8X4 loaf pans to rise and bake.
Below I share many more beginner-friendly tips, like how to keep the crumb porous and open, develop the best flavor, and recommended GF flours to use. You don’t have to be a GF bread expert – it’s possible to achieve bakery-style results the very first time.
Free Guide! 5 easy tips for baking like a gluten-free pro!
Simple hacks for fail-proof gluten-free dishes every time!
Ingredient Tid Bits
The only speciality item needed for GF challah bread is psyllium husk powder, which helps maintain moisture and prevents the bread from becoming crumbly. It’s pretty affordable to buy and really helps mimic regular bread’s structure.
- Gluten-free all purpose flour – I use and recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour for the softest texture without sponginess. Alternatively I’ve been having a lot of success with King Arthur’s gluten-free bread flour, but since it contains psyllium in the mix, reduce the amount added to 1 tablespoon.
- Sugar – Adjust amount for desired sweetness with 1 cup resulting in a sweeter tasting bread, to 1/2 cup adding a hint of sweetness
- Instant yeast (rapid rise) – This challah requires a slow rise, which is aided by the yeast. Instant yeast does not require proofing in water first.
- Psyllium Husk Powder – The linked brand in my favorite because it doesn’t turn baked breads a dark, purplish color, which some darker-colored brands can.
- Baking powder – Adding baking powder with the yeast helps with an airy texture and rise.
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Make-ahead challah requires an overnight rise in the refrigerator so be sure to prepare the dough the day before you need to bake it. Rising overnight in the fridge, makes a softer texture with a more enriched flavor.
(Note: This is a step-by-step tutorial with pictures. For more specific instructions, along with ingredient amounts, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
Effortless dough in minutes
The dough is pretty stiff, so I recommend using a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Begin by mixing together all the dry ingredients, then beat in the wet. Beat on medium speed for 4 minutes.
Scrape the dough into the center, cover securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. See? Told you it was easy!
Shaping dough options
When I first made this recipe I did not have a challah mold, so I experimented with other ways that didn’t require anything fancy. For the most traditional looking loaf use a large challah mold or two small molds.
To make this recipe extremely easy, simply divide the dough between two 8X4 inch loaf pans.
Alternatively, shape the dough into a round loaf and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray a sharp knife with cooking spray and cut through in a star pattern.
After it rises on the baking sheet, in bread pans, or in the molds, brush the bread with an egg wash for an ultra shiny crust. To make it really stand out, I brush the bread twice – once before baking and once halfway through.
The perfect bake
Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Place the bread in and immediately turn down the heat to 350ºF. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and re-brush with the egg wash.
Return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes. If the top of the bread becomes too brown, loosely cover with foil for the last 10 minutes. The interior temperature of the bread should be at 205ºF.
Besides a simply heavenly sliced loaf to serve at holiday meals, our family likes to transform GF challah into many more dishes. If you have bread that is slightly stale put it to use in moist gluten-free banana chocolate chip bread pudding or stuffed gluten-free french toast casserole. It also works great for grilled cheese, stuffing, kugel, croutons, or croutons.
Save this recipe to your pinterest board!
Let’s be friends on Pinterest! I’m always sharing great recipes!
Did you make this recipe? I love hearing from you! Leave a star rating and comment below the recipe card. It helps others when searching for recipes and I appreciate feedback from our community. You will always hear back from me! -Melissa
Soft, Fluffy Gluten-Free Challah Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cup (473 g) gluten free all purpose flour, I highly recommend using Cup4Cup gluten free flour, see recipe notes for optional milk powder addition
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (22 g) instant (rapid rise) yeast
- 2 tablespoons (22 g) psyllium husk powder, (what is psyllium husk?)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt or kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cup (300 g) water
- ½ cup (107 g) oil , any preferred
- 2 large eggs + 1 yolk
- egg wash: 1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water
Equipment
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add the gluten-free flour, sugar, yeast, psyllium husk powder, baking powder, and salt. Use a paddle beater attachment to blend on low speed.3 ¼ cup gluten free all purpose flour, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons instant (rapid rise) yeast, 2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon table salt or kosher salt
- Add the water, oil, eggs, and egg yolk. Mix the liquids in on low speed. Scrape the bowl and beater down, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 4 minutes.1 ¼ cup water, ½ cup oil , 2 large eggs + 1 yolk
- Use a rubber spatula to scrape the dough into the center of the bowl. Cover securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or up to 3 days.
- When ready to bake, line baking sheets with parchment (for round shaped bread), grease two 8X4 loaf pans (for loaves), or grease a large challah mold or two small molds with cooking spray (for traditional shaped challah).
- The dough will be slightly sticky, so use greased hands to divide the dough between the loaf pans, into two loosely shaped balls on the baking sheets, or fill ⅔ of the mold with dough. Shape the dough into smooth balls or smooth the top of loaves evenly.
- For the round challah, if you would like to give a more decorative top, spray a sharp knife with cooking spray and cut through in a star pattern. This will mimic the humps without having to roll and shape the dough. You might have to wipe the blade several times and respray.
- Spray two large pieces of plastic wrap with cooking spray and then cover the loaves. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Use a pastry brush to brush the loaves thoroughly with the egg wash (omit this step if using molds). Reserve the remaining egg wash for later use.egg wash: 1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water
- Place the bread in the hot oven and immediately turn down the heat to 350ºF. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the bread from the oven and rebrush with the egg wash. If using molds, overturn on a baking sheet lined with parchment and release from the mold. Brush the top with egg wash.
- For round loaves or the bread pan, return to the oven for another 20 minutes. If the top of the bread becomes too brown, loosely cover with foil for the last 10 minutes. The interior temperature of the bread should be at 200ºF. For the challah molds, return to the oven for 15 minutes, remove and rebrush with egg wash, then bake again for 10-15 minutes longer. Depending on the size of the challah mold used, the baking time with increase or decrease. For best results, use a thermometer to see if the internal temperature reaches 200ºF.
- Remove from the oven, cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. For best results, serve the same day and freeze any leftovers.
Notes
Adding Milk Powder
This is a new addition to the recipe, so it’s completely optional, but adds moisture to the bread. Recently Cup4Cup removed milk powder from their formulation, so now I remove 2 tablespoons GF flour and replace it with 2 tablespoons gluten-free certified milk powder. You can do this with any GF flour blend, it doesn’t have to be C4C.Storing Tips
Like other gluten free breads, this challah recipe has a short shelf life. I recommend enjoying it the same day it is baked and freezing any leftovers. Challah may be frozen whole or sliced. Either way, make sure the bread is protected, wrapped securely, and freeze up to 3 months. Recipe adapted from Let Them Eat GF CakeThis post contains affiliate links. My opinions are always my own. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link, I make a small commission – at no cost to you. Read full disclosure policy here.
Hey! I tried this recipe with the measure for measure King Arthur flour. It really didn’t work well, it was very dry. I understand that you make it originally with cup4cup, so I am not sure how yours turned out, but it didn’t turn out very well for me. Although the bread rose very nicely turning proofing. I always like to rise it in my warm oven (I preheat to 200F then turn it off then put the bread in so it can rise nicely. Thanks for the recipe anyway! I have been binge trying all gf bread recipes to see where the best one is. I’ve gotten pretty close,but am still looking.
Hi Agnes,
I’m sorry to hear this! I wish there wasn’t such a difference in GF flours. As if it’s not hard enough! Have you tried my GF sandwich bread recipe? It is very versatile with different GF flour brands and gets awesome reviews!
Best,
Melissa
Thank you so much for this easy, yummy recipe. I made once just as written for the High Holidays and again yesterday, both delicious. In yesterday’s batch, I substituted most of the water with homemade sugar pumpkin purée, added about 2t cinnamon and an egg white (because I had an extra one to use up). Baked in challah mold from Amazon. Gluten free pumpkin spice mini challahs!
What an amazing idea, Susannah! Thanks for taking the time to let me know because I’m definitely trying this!
Best,
Melissa