Challah Lab · Decision tree
Find your challah
Three questions sort all 72 recipes into 8 groups. Each question is about one of the ingredients recipes disagree on most, and splits the recipes in front of it at their own median, so each answer keeps about half of them. Every group ends with its median recipe in grams and the real recipes nearest it.
The questions
Question 1
More oil than most, or less?
Oil rather than butter, traditionally, so the bread is dairy-free.
All 72 recipes: median 12% of the flour weight, 60 g per 500 g of flour; middle half 8% to 15%.
Question 2
More sweetener than most, or less?
Honey or sugar; sweeter for Rosh Hashanah, less for everyday loaves.
All 72 recipes: median 13% of the flour weight, 65 g per 500 g of flour; middle half 9.6% to 17%.
Asked within each answer to question 1, split at the median of the recipes that gave it.
Question 3
More egg than most, or less?
Eggs and extra yolks give challah its color and richness; the egg wash on top is counted as an extra.
All 72 recipes: median 25% of the flour weight, 125 g per 500 g of flour; middle half 20% to 30%.
Asked within each answer to question 2, split at the median of the recipes that gave it.
The key
Read left to right: pick an answer to question 1, then one of the answers beside it for question 2, and so on to a group. Each cell gives the answer, its bound in grams per 100 g of flour, and how many recipes give it.
| 1. Oil | 2. Sweetener | 3. Egg | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moreover 12%35 | Moreover 13%20 | More30% or more11 | A11 |
| Lessunder 30%9 | B9 | ||
| Less13% or less15 | Moreover 25%8 | C8 | |
| Less25% or less7 | D7 | ||
| Less12% or less37 | Moreover 11%19 | Moreover 20%9 | E9 |
| Less20% or less10 | F10 | ||
| Less11% or less18 | Moreover 26%9 | G9 | |
| Less26% or less9 | H9 |
The 8 groups
Each median recipe is the median of every ingredient over the group's recipes, scaled to 500 g of flour, beside the typical loaf of all 72. Bold rows are the ingredients the questions asked about.
Group A · 11 recipes · 15% of all
More oil, more sweetener and more egg
Oil over 12%, sweetener over 13% and egg 30% or more of the flour weight.
| At 500 g flour | Group A | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Egg | 160 gabout 3 large eggs | 125 g |
| Oil | 75 gabout 1/3 cup | 60 g |
| Sweetener | 85 gabout 1/2 cup | 65 g |
| Water | 185 gabout 3/4 cup | 200 g |
| Salt | 10 g | 9 g |
| Yeast | 9 g | 7 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 29 minutes, the medians of the 10 recipes here that state a temperature and the 10 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group A
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Challah Bread · bakingamoment.comoil 19% · sweetener 19% · egg 31%
- Classic Challah · kingarthurbaking.comoil 15% · sweetener 13% · egg 32%
- Homemade Challah · onceuponachef.comoil 15% · sweetener 24% · egg 32%
- Sabbat Brot aka. Challah · baketotheroots.deoil 15% · sweetener 17% · egg 30%
- No-Knead Challah · kingarthurbaking.comoil 12% · sweetener 21% · egg 31%
Group B · 9 recipes · 12% of all
More oil, more sweetener and less egg
Oil over 12%, sweetener over 13% and egg under 30% of the flour weight. A small group: treat its median as a sketch and read the recipes themselves.
| At 500 g flour | Group B | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Egg | 100 gabout 2 large eggs | 125 g |
| Oil | 80 gabout 1/3 cup | 60 g |
| Sweetener | 80 gabout 1/3 cup | 65 g |
| Water | 185 gabout 3/4 cup | 200 g |
| Salt | 9 g | 9 g |
| Yeast | 7 g | 7 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes, the medians of the 9 recipes here that state a temperature and the 9 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group B
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- "Seeduction" Challah · kingarthurbaking.comoil 13% · sweetener 14% · egg 20%
- Homemade Challah Bread (No Knead!) · biggerbolderbaking.comoil 15% · sweetener 13% · egg 18%
- Molly's Challah · kingarthurbaking.comoil 15% · sweetener 15% · egg 26%
- Challah with Saffron · foodnetwork.comoil 16% · sweetener 14% · egg 26%
- Millie's Whole Wheat Challah · kingarthurbaking.comoil 17% · sweetener 20% · egg 23%
Group C · 8 recipes · 11% of all
More oil, less sweetener and more egg
Oil over 12%, sweetener 13% or less and egg over 25% of the flour weight. A small group: treat its median as a sketch and read the recipes themselves.
| At 500 g flour | Group C | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Egg | 150 gabout 3 large eggs | 125 g |
| Oil | 70 gabout 1/3 cup | 60 g |
| Sweetener | 48 gabout 1/4 cup | 65 g |
| Water | 210 gabout 3/4 cup | 200 g |
| Salt | 9 g | 9 g |
| Yeast | 9 g | 7 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 31 minutes, the medians of the 7 recipes here that state a temperature and the 8 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group C
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Challah Bread · africanbites.comoil 18% · sweetener 13% · egg 38%
- Challah · tasteofhome.comoil 14% · sweetener 8.5% · egg 26%
- Challah Bread · handletheheat.comoil 15% · sweetener 13% · egg 38%
- Mini Challah · tasteofhome.comoil 14% · sweetener 8.5% · egg 25%
- Easy Challah Bread Recipe · themediterraneandish.comoil 16% · sweetener 10% · egg 25%
Group D · 7 recipes · 9% of all
More oil, less sweetener and less egg
Oil over 12%, sweetener 13% or less and egg 25% or less of the flour weight. A small group: treat its median as a sketch and read the recipes themselves.
| At 500 g flour | Group D | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Egg | 110 gabout 2 large eggs | 125 g |
| Oil | 75 gabout 1/3 cup | 60 g |
| Sweetener | 55 gabout 1/4 cup | 65 g |
| Water | 185 gabout 3/4 cup | 200 g |
| Salt | 6 g | 9 g |
| Yeast | 8 g | 7 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 30 minutes, the medians of the 7 recipes here that state a temperature and the 7 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group D
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Challah · preppykitchen.comoil 14% · sweetener 9.3% · egg 22%
- Pretzel Challah Buns · foodnetwork.comoil 15% · sweetener 11% · egg 22%
- Challah Bread · kirbiecravings.comoil 14% · sweetener 12% · egg 25%
- Jüdische Challah · kuechengoetter.deoil 15% · sweetener 11% · egg 24%
- Orange Juice Challah · foodnetwork.comoil 17% · sweetener 6.4% · egg 19%
Group E · 9 recipes · 12% of all
Less oil, more sweetener and more egg
Oil 12% or less, sweetener over 11% and egg over 20% of the flour weight. A small group: treat its median as a sketch and read the recipes themselves.
| At 500 g flour | Group E | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Egg | 150 gabout 3 large eggs | 125 g |
| Oil | 55 gabout 1/4 cup | 60 g |
| Sweetener | 80 gabout 1/3 cup | 65 g |
| Water | 205 gabout 3/4 cup | 200 g |
| Salt | 10 g | 9 g |
| Yeast | 6 g | 7 g |
Bake375°F (190°C) for about 33 minutes, the medians of the 9 recipes here that state a temperature and the 9 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group E
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Four-Strand Braided Challah · kingarthurbaking.comoil 9.3% · sweetener 13% · egg 25%
- Challah · leitesculinaria.comoil 9% · sweetener 11% · egg 25%
- Challah Rolls with Dried Fruit · foodnetwork.comoil 11% · sweetener 23% · egg 30%
- Seeded Challah · foodnetwork.comoil 11% · sweetener 23% · egg 30%
- Sourdough Challah · theperfectloaf.comoil 9.1% · sweetener 16% · egg 24%
Group F · 10 recipes · 13% of all
Less oil, more sweetener and less egg
Oil 12% or less, sweetener over 11% and egg 20% or less of the flour weight.
| At 500 g flour | Group F | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Egg | 95 gabout 2 large eggs | 125 g |
| Oil | 39 gabout 3 tbsp | 60 g |
| Sweetener | 90 gabout 1/2 cup | 65 g |
| Water | 235 gabout 1 cup | 200 g |
| Salt | 10 g | 9 g |
| Yeast | 7 g | 7 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 28 minutes, the medians of the 9 recipes here that state a temperature and the 9 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group F
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Braided Round Challah · tasteofhome.comoil 11% · sweetener 17% · egg 20%
- Perfect Challah · foodnetwork.comoil 8.2% · sweetener 24% · egg 20%
- Brioche Challah · cuisineaz.comoil 9.6% · sweetener 14% · egg 19%
- Homemade Challah Bread with a 6 Stranded Braid · thestayathomechef.comoil 5.1% · sweetener 16% · egg 14%
- Challah (Breadmaker Method) · nigella.comoil 5.4% · sweetener 22% · egg 20%
Group G · 9 recipes · 12% of all
Less oil, less sweetener and more egg
Oil 12% or less, sweetener 11% or less and egg over 26% of the flour weight. A small group: treat its median as a sketch and read the recipes themselves.
| At 500 g flour | Group G | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Egg | 135 gabout 2 1/2 large eggs | 125 g |
| Oil | 37 gabout 2 1/2 tbsp | 60 g |
| Sweetener | 30 gabout 2 1/2 tbsp | 65 g |
| Water | 180 gabout 3/4 cup | 200 g |
| Salt | 9 g | 9 g |
| Yeast | 8 g | 7 g |
Bake350°F (175°C) for about 23 minutes, the medians of the 5 recipes here that state a temperature and the 7 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group G
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Whole Grain Challah · breadtopia.comoil 8% · sweetener 6% · egg 27%
- Jeffrey's Challah · kingarthurbaking.comoil 7.1% · sweetener 11% · egg 27%
- Challah ai semi misti · cucchiaio.itoil 7.4% · sweetener 6% · egg 27%
- Pain Hallah traditionnel · chefsimon.comoil 10% · sweetener 9.1% · egg 28%
- Challah (halla): pain juif à symboles & gourmandise - bba#6 · ptitchef.comoil 5.8% · sweetener 5.8% · egg 26%
Group H · 9 recipes · 12% of all
Less oil, less sweetener and less egg
Oil 12% or less, sweetener 11% or less and egg 26% or less of the flour weight. A small group: treat its median as a sketch and read the recipes themselves.
| At 500 g flour | Group H | All |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 500 g | 500 g |
| Egg | 95 gabout 2 large eggs | 125 g |
| Oil | 38 gabout 2 1/2 tbsp | 60 g |
| Sweetener | 49 gabout 1/4 cup | 65 g |
| Water | 230 gabout 1 cup | 200 g |
| Salt | 9 g | 9 g |
| Yeast | 7 g | 7 g |
Bake375°F (190°C) for about 28 minutes, the medians of the 7 recipes here that state a temperature and the 8 that state a time.
Nearest the middle of group H
Closest to the group's median on every ingredient at once.
- Homemade Challah · jamiegeller.comoil 7.5% · sweetener 10% · egg 19%
- Best Challah Bread Recipe · houseofnasheats.comoil 11% · sweetener 9.7% · egg 19%
- Ron's Braided Challah · foodnetwork.comoil 11% · sweetener 8.7% · egg 21%
- Traditional Challah · jamiegeller.comoil 4% · sweetener 9.7% · egg 24%
- 1-Hour Challah: Challenge Accepted! · jamiegeller.comoil 7.9% · sweetener 11% · egg 15%
How the questions are chosen
Each ingredient is ranked by how much recipes disagree on it: the width of the middle half of recipes (25th to 75th percentile) divided by the median, less 4% for each place it sits down this lab's list of ingredients, so the ones that define the dish win near ties. For challah the order is oil (0.60), sweetener (0.56), egg (0.40), yeast (0.39) and water (0.35), and the first 3 are asked. Salt is never asked about: recipes differ on it mostly by brand and taste.
Every split is at the median of the recipes in front of it, rounded to the percentage shown. Recipes exactly at the median go to whichever side leaves the two halves more even. No answer may keep fewer than 5 recipes; a group that could not be split further says so.
The recipes listed under each group are the 5 nearest its median on every ingredient at once, each scaled by how much recipes vary on it. Every recipe page links to the original for the method.