gluten free challah

I&#039;ve discovered the secret to fluffy gluten free challah bread! Tired of the dense, chewy texture of gluten free bread? Learn how to get it just right with my easy step-by-step recipe.

The Fluffiest Gluten Free Challah Bread

All purpose gluten free flour

psyllium husk* (see note below)

tsp baking powder

salt

tsp apple cider vinegar

water

gluten free quick rise yeast

tsp sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.

Start by setting up 1 cup of water to boil.

In a large bowl mix together dry ingredients including gluten free flour, psyllium husk, baking powder and salt.

Add in the boiling water and mix together. It may be a bit lumpy at first, but once it cools a little you can use your hands to knead it a bit.

Add in the apple cider vinegar and egg whites to the dough mixture and knead together with your hands until it&#39;s mixed together and creates and sticky but firm dough mass.

The dough should be firm enough to stay together in one heap but it should be a little sticky when you touch it. It will become less sticky as you use a little flour to shape the dough into a braided challah loaf. Sometimes different gluten free flour blends behave differently... If your dough is too wet and not sticking together enough, add little bits of gluten free flour until it reaches the right consistency. Alternatively, if the dough is too firm, add a little bit of warm water until it reaches the right consistency.

Lightly sprinkle your hands and a clean counter, chopping block or large cutting board with gluten free flour. Don&#39;t use too much flour to work with the bread dough or it may dry out. Only use enough to prevent sticking.

Separate the dough evenly into rope-like shapes depending on if you are making a regular braided challah loaf or a round loaf. If it&#39;s a regular long loaf, you&#39;ll need 3 ropes. If it&#39;s a round braided loaf, you&#39;ll need 4 ropes. Place the bread dough ropes onto the floured surface and braid it (see images above for instruction on braiding). You can watch this video for a long braided loaf or this video for a round braided loaf.

Put 1 egg yolk in a small ramekin or shallow dish. Use a brush to brush the top of the braided loaf with egg yolk to make the bread shinier on top after baking.

Optionally you can also add sesame seeds or bagel seasoning to the top of the bread before baking. You can also leave it as is without toppings.

Place the braided challah dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put into an oven that has been pre-heated to 350°F. Allow to cook for 60-80 minutes. Cooking times may vary depending on the oven. Mine ended up taking 80 minutes.

Because this recipe uses psyllium husk it may appear that the inside seems a bit wet if you insert a toothpick in the bread while it&#39;s cooking. If you have cooked it for 80 minutes and a toothpick inserted is still appearing wet, it just needs time to set after cooking and won&#39;t be undercooked inside once the bread has cooled.

Regular recipe with psyllium husk (*see note below):

If you prefer the less psyllium husk recipe, you will use quick rise yeast and use 2 tbsp of psyllium husk instead of 1/4 cup.

Start by activating the yeast by dissolving 1 packet of quick rise yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water that is between 110-115°F then add in 1/2 tsp of sugar (this is needed to activate the yeast). Wait for the foam to double in volume. If the foam doesn&#39;t rise, then the water used was too hot, too cold or the yeast has gone bad.

Next, set up 3/4 cup of water to boil.

In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients including gluten free flour, 2 tbsp of psyllium husk, baking powder and salt.

Add in the 3/4 cups of boiling water and mix together. It may be a bit lumpy at first, but after you add the remaining ingredients and it cools a little you can use your hands to knead it a bit.

Add in the apple cider vinegar and egg whites to the dough mixture and mix together.

Once the yeast has been activated and the foam has doubled in size, add it to the dough mixture. Knead with your hands until it&#39;s mixed together and creates and sticky but firm dough mass.

Follow instructions #6-12 in the instructions above to finish the recipe.

Recipe with less psyllium husk with added yeast (*see note below):

This is THE BEST gluten free challah bread you’ll ever try, and it’s super easy to make! It’s pillowy-soft and fluffy, with a deliciously rich, slightly sweet flavour. And the gluten free dough handles beautifully: you can easily braid your challah without having to worry about it tearing or cracking. 

Gluten Free Challah Bread

345 g (1¼ cups + 3 tbsp) lukewarm water

215 g (1¾ cups + 2 tbsp) tapioca starch

135 g (1 cup) millet flour,

flour

g (¼ cup) caster/superfine sugar

g (2 tsp) baking powder

g (2½ tsp) xanthan gum

g (1¼ tsp) salt

US large/UK medium egg, room temperature

US large/UK medium egg yolks, room temperature

g (3 tbsp) sunflower oil,

US large/UK medium egg, whisked, for egg wash

sesame seeds,

I recommend making the dough using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, but you can also make it by hand.

Make the psyllium gel: In a bowl, mix together the psyllium husk and lukewarm water. After about 30-45 seconds, a gel will form.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer (if using), whisk together the tapioca starch, millet flour, oat flour, sugar, instant yeast, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt.Tip: If using active dry yeast instead, you need to activate it first. Mix it together  with a tablespoon of the sugar and 120g (½ cup) of the water listed in the recipe (note that that means you&#39;ll use less water to make the psyllium gel). Set aside for 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture starts frothing. Then, add it to the dry ingredients along with the rest of the wet ingredients.

Add the egg, two egg yolks and oil to the psyllium gel and mix well to combine.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the psyllium gel-egg mixture.

Knead the dough until smooth and all the ingredients are evenly incorporated, then knead for a further 4-5 minutes (if using a stand mixer) or 6-8 minutes (if kneading it by hand). Use a rubber spatula to occasionally scrape along the sides and bottom of the bowl to prevent any dry patches of unmixed flour.Tip: This extra kneading time will make the dough EXTRA smooth, which is the key to a beautiful gluten free challah.

The final dough will be slightly sticky to the touch – that’s okay, you’ll be working on a lightly floured surface so it shouldn’t be a problem. Resist the temptation to add more flour to the dough, as that can make the final challah too dense and dry.Tip: If you find the dough too sticky to easily handle (even on a floured surface and with floured hands), you can chill it in the fridge for about 1 hour before proceeding to the next step. This will make the dough firmer, less sticky, and therefore easier to handle.

Making the dough:

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball, then divide it into four equal portions, each should weigh about 250g.

Take one portion of the dough and shape it into a ball (keep the others covered with a sheet of plastic wrap/cling film or a clean dish towel to prevent them from drying out).Roll it out into a rough rectangle – the exact dimensions don’t really matter, aim for a size of about 8x5 inches (20x12cm).Working along the wider end, fold the dough over itself and press down gently to seal. Continue folding the dough over itself (and pressing down to seal), you’re essentially rolling it up into an approximately 8-inch (20cm) log. Pinch the seam together to seal it.

Use the palms of your hands to roll the dough back and forth until you reach a length of about 15-16 inches (38-40cm). While you’re rolling it, make sure that you also create a slightly tapered shape, with the ends of the rope/strand slightly narrower than the middle.

Repeat with the other three portions of dough, until you get four 15-16-inch (38-40cm) ropes or strands. Transfer them to a large sheet of parchment/baking paper – you’ll braid the challah on the paper, it’ll make it easier to transfer it to the baking sheet.

Braid the four-strand challah loaf. Always start with the strand farthest to the right and and weave it towards the left through the other strands using the pattern: over-under-over. Repeat this pattern, always starting with the strand farthest to the right, until you have a fully braided loaf.Note that gluten free dough is a bit more fragile than regular dough made from wheat flour, so you do have to be a bit more gentle with it. I usually start braiding at the top third of the braid, braid towards the bottom, then rotate the challah by 180 degrees and finish off the other end – this tends to give me the prettiest end result. (See the blog post for detailed step-by-step photos of the braiding process.)Once you’ve finished the braid, tuck the ends underneath the braided loaf for a more polished final look.

Shaping &amp; braiding:

Use the parchment/baking paper underneath to transfer the challah onto a large baking sheet (trim the paper as needed to make it fit the baking sheet).

Lightly cover the challah with a sheet of plastic wrap/cling film (to prevent it from drying out) and proof in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Tip: If your kitchen is on the cold side, put a cup of boiling hot water into your (turned-off) oven – that will create the perfect warm, slightly humid proofing environment.

Proofing:

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC).

Once the challah has doubled in size, brush it gently with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).

Bake at 375ºF (190ºC) for 28-30 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown. If the loaf starts browning too much or too quickly, you can cover it with a sheet of aluminium foil, shiny side up.I like to check the doneness by inserting a toothpick into the centre of the loaf, much like you would with a cake: if your toothpick comes out with raw dough on it, the challah needs a bit longer in the oven.

Immediately transfer the baked gluten free challah to a wire rack to cool – this prevents any condensation from forming underneath.

Enjoy warm or cooled completely to room temperature.

Baking the challah:

This gluten free challah is definitely at its best fresh, on the day of baking, but it also keeps well for 3-4 days at room temperature in a closed container or well wrapped (to prevent it from drying out). I recommend toasting or reheating it on days 3 and 4.

Storage:

Boy, did I miss my stand mixer on this one! I have never braided anything other than hair, and even that, not very well! But your photos look so lovely, and I appreciate that you have photos on every step of the way. I needed a gluten-free challah for a bread pudding recipe, and I am happy I found yours! I did the psyllium/yeast/sorghum/brown rice flour subs all as advised. The only thing I did differently was to use fine white rice flour for dusting. The batter was very sticky; the consistency of oatmeal mixed with glue, and as I had to hand-mix, I lost about 80 grams of dough that stuck to my fingers. I managed to get it rolled out as instructed, chilling it for about 15 minutes and then using the dusted board and hands to shape it. And it actually came out ok, for my first braided loaf with many challenges! My oven has the heating element on the bottom, so I worried I wouldn't get a nice brown, but I used an egg-yolk-only wash, so it browned nicely. The only disappointment was that it spread out wide on the rise instead of up. It looks like your braids were maybe thinner and tighter than mine, so I will try again when I have my stand mixer back. But the flavor and texture are wonderful. Thank you!

Can I give this 10 stars? I followed the recipe quantities exactly. I had to proof my yeast. This loaf was double the size in 20 minutes of proofing and nearly 4x the size at an hour. Baked perfectly! 

Thank you!

Thanks for the recipe! I made it for the first time and it turned out right the first time! Very pleasant taste, I was afraid that I would taste yeast, surprisingly this was not the case.

I made this yesterday. Doubled the recipe and froze an unproofed loaf for future baking. Had a slice last night. YUM!  It didn’t get the rise I was hoping for but it made delish french toast!  I was a little hectic during proofing time so I’ll be more focused next loaf!  First successful gluten free bread …yayyy!!

I have tried so many gluten free challah recipes and had found a staple one. When this came out I HAD to try it and this is now my new staple. It is THE BEST gluten free challah I have ever tasted and the dough was so easy to handle! Love love love!

Absolutely incredible and insane recipe. My boyfriend is Jewish and also has celiac and literally every other Gluten-Free Challah recipe out there is dry, crumbly, and nearly impossible to braid. We thought that it was impossible to make Challah Gluten-Free, so we are so thankful for this recipe! It's delicious :)

Absolutely fantastic! My whole family loves this recipe. Question: it looks great coming out of the oven, but shrinks down a bit right away. Only thing I did differently was sorghum flour instead of oat. Maybe over proofing, or?

Thank you so much  for this recipe!!! I’ve been making decent gluten free challah but only with blends with wheat starch. I felt this recipe has more real ingredients. As others have experienced, when I’ve used millet I end up with a bitter after taste. I did half millet half brown rice flour and subbed sorghum for oat flour. Really great end result. I don’t need to eat gf (my daughter has celiac) and I could have eaten this whole challah. Thank you!!!

This challah recipe is amazing! I’ll admit, the first time I tried it, it didn’t go as well (I later realized that the eggs I used were much bigger than standard US large eggs). But then I weighed my eggs beforehand and put the dough in the fridge for 15 min and it was super easy to work with! The challah doubled in size during its rise (without major tearing) and also kept its shape decently despite the oven spring. Your recipes never disappoint!! :)

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Top 2 gluten free challah recipes from across the web

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