This Sourdough Challah with a Brown Butter & Vanilla Glaze is melt-in-your-mouth good!

Originally Published 02/09/2021

I’m not gonna say it’s flakey because that would make you think of pie crust, but this sourdough challah is flakey! The texture of this bread is so soft, it just pulls apart in bread ribbons! Also, the eggs, added to the dough, create this rich, satisfying flavor.

If that wasn’t enough to entice you to bake this beautiful bread, the brown butter & vanilla glaze adds that extra little hint of cozy sweetness.

On a cold winter afternoon, all you need is a good cup of tea, a warm sweater, and a slice of this delicious sourdough challah!

Other than time, the recipe for this sourdough challah is easy!

You need an active starter at peak rise to make this recipe work. The addition of butter and eggs makes the dough heavier and the sourdough has to work harder to rise it. A day before I baked this, I fed 50 grams of starter with 100 grams of bread flour and 100 grams of water. This 2:1 ratio gives it more power. 

I made this challah all in one day. Because of the long rise times, I didn’t finish baking it until about 7:00 pm.

The smarter way to go about it would be to feed the starter in the morning, and then make the dough right before bed so it could rise overnight while you’re sleeping. 

So, to make the sourdough challah dough, combine the active starter, whole milk, sugar, room-temperature eggs and egg yolks, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon, and mix. Then add in the bread flour and knead with the dough hook for 6-8 minutes.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. At two hours into the rise, I came back and flipped it upside down to redistribute the food for the sourdough yeast.

It needs at least 8 hours to rise. My house is a comfortable 69 degrees (or chillier between the furnace running and going off). If you make this before bed and want to leave it for longer than 8 hours, leave it somewhere cooler overnight.

After the first long rise,

it’s time to divide the dough into 6 pieces and braid it!

I like to use my kitchen scale to weigh the whole lump of dough, divide that by 6, and then weigh out the individual pieces so they’re all the same. 

If you don’t have a scale, just do your best to eyeball it. 

Once you’ve got the dough rolled out into ropes, connect the top and braid away! I’ve included a diagram I found to help with the pattern. But also, if you’re like me and you need to see it in action, King Arthur Baking has a great video for you to watch too! How to Braid a Six-Strand Challah Loaf.

After you’ve got the Sourdough Challah braided,

 cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise again someplace that is warm. I like to use my oven as a sort of proofing box. I’ll turn it on for a few minutes, turn it off and then place the bread in there. Every so often I’ll come back and turn it on and off again quickly to keep it warm. This will speed up the second rise. 

 If you want to just leave it on your countertop that works too, it just might take longer than 2 1/2 – 3 hours for it to be ready to bake.

You’ll know it’s ready to go when you poke it with a slightly damp finger and the dough springs back slowly and leaves a little indent.

Now it’s time to bake!

Eggwash the sourdough challah and put it in your 375-degree oven on the middle rack to bake for 35-40 minutes.

When it’s done, it should be golden brown and sound hollow when you tap the bottom of it.

While it’s baking, it’s time to get the glaze made.

Brown the butter in a small saucepan and then pour it into a bowl. Mix in the heavy cream, vanilla, and powdered sugar.

The cold heavy whipping cream might make your butter firm back up, so before you use a brush to glaze the loaf, you can stick the glaze in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to warm it back up!

Now to finish your Sourdough Challah.

Let it cool for 5-10 minutes before applying the glaze, otherwise, it will all just drip right off. 

I sprinkled the top of mine with finely chopped walnuts to add some texture and crunch, and because that nutty flavor goes so well with brown butter and vanilla! I think this sourdough challah is the best sliced and enjoyed warm! This recipe makes a pretty large loaf! So I also recommend sharing with friends and family!

Print Recipe

Sourdough Challah with Brown Butter Vanilla Glaze

A gorgeously soft and rich bread that is mildly sweet and only hints at sourdough. It is also topped with a melt in your mouth brown butter & vanilla glaze. This recipe makes a large loaf perfect for sharing with friends and family!

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time35 minutes mins

Rise time10 hours hrs

Course: Bread, Dessert, Snack

Keyword: challah, Sourdough Bread

Servings: 18 slices

Equipment

• Kitchen Scale
• Kitchenaid
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Small Sauce Pan
• Rubber Spatula
• Basting Brush
• Knife

Ingredients

Sourdough Challah

• 150 grams Active Sourdough Starter
• 1/2 Cup Whole Milk + 2 tbsp warm
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Salted Butter melted
• 2 Eggs room temperature
• 2 Egg Yolks room temperature
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 3 1/3 Cups Bread Flour

Brown Butter & Vanilla Glaze

• 2 tbsp Salted Butter browned
• 2 tbsp Heavy Cream
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
• 3 tbsp Chopped Walnuts optional

Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• 1/2 tbsp water

Instructions

Sourdough Challah Dough

• Make sure to use an activated starter for this recipe! I fed mine the day before, one part sourdough starter to two parts water and bread flour to prepare it for this bake!
• In your Kitchenaid mixer with the bread hook attachment, add in your 150 grams of active sourdough starter, 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp of warm milk, 3 tbsp of sugar, 2 eggs, plus two egg yolks at room temperature, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix together.
• Add in the 3 1/3 cups of bread flour and knead on low, to medium-low speed until the dough comes together and is smooth, 6-8 minutes. 

If your dough seems too dry, add in up to 2 tbsp more milk.
• Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. After the dough has sat for two hours, turn the dough over in the bowl so the bottom becomes the top. Wrap with plastic wrap again and allow to rise for another 6 hours, 8 hours total. 

If you want to start this recipe in the evening before you go to bed, the dough can sit overnight and rise while you sleep!

Shaping & Braiding the Challah

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray with oil.
• After the first rise is finished, weigh out the total weight of the dough and divide it by 6. This will give you the weight for each of the six strands of dough to be braided. 

If you don’t have a kitchen scale, estimate and divide the dough as equally as you can.
• Roll out each of the 6 pieces of dough along your counter to form long ropes approximately 22″ long.
• Connect all 6 pieces together at the top of the braid and follow the diagram for the six-strand braid.
• Once the challah is braided, place it on the lightly oiled parchment paper and cover with plastic wrap. Place it in a warm place to rise for another 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

For this rise, I set it in my oven, sporadically turning it quickly on and off to keep the loaf warm.

You’ll know it is ready to bake when you wet your finger, poke the dough, and it springs back slowly leaving a small indent.

Bake

• Towards the end of the second rise, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

(If you’ve been using your oven as a proofing box, make sure to remove the challah before preheating or you’ll prematurely bake the loaf!)
• After the sourdough challah is done rising for the second time, mix up the egg wash and gently brush the entire loaf, top and sides, before baking.
• Bake on the middle rack of the oven at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.

Brown Butter & Vanilla Glaze

• While the Sourdough Challah is baking, make the glaze.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter and stir until butter turns a dark golden brown. Immediately remove from heat and pour it into a medium-size bowl.
• Add in the vanilla, heavy cream, and powdered sugar, stir with a rubber spatula until combined.

Glaze and Enjoy!

• When the Sourdough Challah is done baking, remove it from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Allow it to cool 5-10 minutes.

After 5-10 minutes, use a basting brush to glaze the top of the entire loaf while it is still warm. If your glaze is too thick to brush on, place it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to heat it back up and liquefy it.
• After the glaze has been brushed on, sprinkle the top with 2-3 tbsp of chopped walnuts if you would like!
• Slice and serve while it’s still warm!

Notes

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