Gluten-Free Challah Recipe

Because Even Gluten Deserves a Day of Rest! 🚫🌾

In the past two months, two friends reached out to me via WhatsApp asking, “Do you have a gluten-free challah recipe?” Figuring it was a cosmic message from the universe, I decided to create one for them—and for you.

In my heart, I hope the universe also has deeper messages for me about my purpose, but I'm happy to honor recipe request messages too!

Let’s be honest, there is no such thing as traditional gluten-free challah. It's a modern marvel created to respond to gastrointestinal sensitivities to gluten and/or allergies to wheat. Thanks to modern medical practices and increased awareness of gluten intolerance, gluten-free has also become one of the major fad diets of the 21st century. (But hey, we’re not judging! We just want you to enjoy your bread without the tummy trouble.)

Gluten-Free Challah is usually a untasty messy

This gluten-free challah is sure to delight you if you are gluten-free or have gluten-free friends at your Shabbat or holiday table. Gluten-free dough is notoriously tricky to work with. Without the stretch of gluten, braiding the dough is like trying to braid spaghetti—it just won't cooperate. So, it’s best baked in a bread pan, muffin tin, or a silicone challah bread-shaped mold. (Trust me, I’ve tried and it’s best to leave the braiding to your hair.)

This gluten-free challah bread is flavorful and simple to make. The recipe uses common ingredients that are easy to find, even if your grocery store feels like a treasure hunt sometimes. The flour is a combination of almond flour and a gluten-free flour mix. The finished bread is moist and best left to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. (Seriously, let it cool, or you’ll end up with challah crumbs everywhere.)

The sesame seeds add a low-key nutty savory taste and crunch to the crust, making it just the right amount of fancy without being pretentious.

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Gluten-Free Challah Recipe

Category: Dairy or Pareve

Prep time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes

Total time: 2 hours

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients: (in order of use in the recipe)  

• 1 cup lukewarm water

• ½ cup lukewarm milk (for Pareve, use soy milk)

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 ½ teaspoons dry active yeast

• 2 large eggs, whisked (try an egg replacer like Just Egg for a vegan version)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or melted butter)

• 2 cups gluten-free flour mix

• 1 cup fine almond flour
  1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Tools:

Large mixing bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

9-inch loaf pan

Parchment paper

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water, milk, honey, and yeast. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 5-6 minutes, just until the yeast becomes foamy and activated.

2. Add the eggs and olive oil to the mixture and whisk to combine.

3. Add in the gluten-free flour, almond flour, and salt; start working the dough, adding more gluten-free flour, if needed, until it comes together in a ball. The total kneading time should be around 2-3 minutes.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic flour and allow the dough to sit at room temp for 30 minutes.

5. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

6. After 30 minutes, transfer the dough into the prepared loaf pan and cover again. Allow to sit at room temperature until slightly risen, around 30 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top of the loaf.

8. Place the loaf pan into the oven and bake until the bread is deeply golden-brown on the outside, around 45-50 minutes.

9. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy making and eating this gluten-free challah as much as I enjoyed creating it! Share this recipe with your friends and family who follow a gluten-free diet, and if you make it, please let me know your feedback. Your input helps me improve and create even better recipes for everyone to enjoy. Happy challah baking!

Am Yisrael Chai 🕊️

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