The Easiest Vegan Challah Bread Under $1 a Serving
You don't need eggs to make a light, delicious vegan challah bread. This recipe has only 10 ingredients and is easy to follow.
Make sure to leave enough time for this bread to be fully proofed. This will dictate how light and soft the vegan challah bread will be.
What is Vegan Challah Bread?
Challah is a staple in Jewish food and culture. Challah is a soft and fluffy specialty bread that is often baked weekly for Shabbat or other major Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah. The only exception is during Passover when leavened and fermented grain products are not allowed.
Is Challah Bread Vegan?
Challah Bread is can be easily made vegan because it is naturally dairy-free and meat-free. To make challah bread vegan, we’re swapping the egg wash for a homemade apricot jam and plant milk wash. Honey is also not used in this recipe to keep it fully vegan.
Does Vegan Challah Bread Taste Different That Non-Vegan Challah Bread?
Vegan Challah bread tastes similar to non-vegan Challah bread. It’s light, tender, and subtly sweet. The texture of vegan Challah bread resembles non-vegan Challah bread as it is soft and fluffy.
Vegan Challah Bread Ingredients
- All-purpose flour ($0.38)
- Cane sugar ($0.03)
- Instant yeast ($0.12)
- Salt ($0.01)
- Vegan butter ($0.43)
- Neutral vegetable oil ($0.44)
- Warm water (120-130F)
- Jam glaze
- Apricot jam ($0.31)
- Plant milk ($0.05)
Easy Vegan Challah Bread Substitutions
- Replace butter with oil
- Substitute oil for butter
- Aquafaba wash or maple syrup wash instead of apricot jam and plant milk wash
- Use 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for all-purpose flour
Step-By-Step Instructions to Make Vegan Challah
Add the all-purpose flour, cane sugar, instant yeast, and salt. Whisk together until well combined.
Next, add the melted vegan butter, vegetable oil, and warm water. Mix the dough with a spatula until shaggy. Continue kneading with your hands for 7-8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl coated with oil, then brush the top of the dough with oil as well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 1 ½ - 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Gently punch the air out of the dough and remove it from the bowl. Divide it into 2 even halves, then further divide the dough halves into 3 even pieces.
Roll each piece into a snake-like shape with tapered ends, about 10-12 inches long. Place the 3 pieces side-by-side and pinch the ends together at the top.
Braid the loaf by bringing each outer strand into the middle until you reach the end of the strands. Pinch the ends together, and tuck each end of the loaf under on itself. Repeat with the other loaf as well.
Transfer both loaves onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap sprayed with cooking oil.
Let proof for another 90 minutes, or until they’ve risen to about double in size, are puffy, and leave a slight indent when pushed on.
Why Proofing Vegan Challah Bread Is Important
Vegan challah bread can be a sensitive dough. If under-proofed, the vegan challah bread dough will tear in the oven. If over-proofed, the dough will form air bubbles that are too large. The bubbles will then pop and the dough will deflate while baking.
Can You Make a Challah Bread Glaze Without Egg?
The egg wash is one of the most important steps that gives the challah bread its signature glossy appearance. It also helps add moisture to the vegan challan dough, which helps it rise.
Most Challah bread recipes use an egg wash to give it this shiny appearance. In this recipe, we use apricot jam and plant milk to form the glaze.
Brush the loaves with half of the glaze mixture, then bake them for 20 minutes. Brush on the rest of the glaze, then rotate the loaves to evenly cook both sides.
Bake them for another 13-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and shiny. Let the loaves cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
How to Store Vegan Challah Bread
Vegan Challah Bread keeps at room temperature for up to 4 days. Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen. Preheat in an oven at 350 degrees F, microwave, or toaster.
What to Make with Vegan Challah Bread Leftovers
Not sure what to do with leftover vegan Challah bread? Use the leftover vegan challah bread to make french toast, bread pudding, croutons, or stuffing.
Vegan Challah Bread
Servings: 2 loaves (24 slices)
Prep time: 3 hours
Bake time: 20 minutes
Total time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Cost: $1.77 recipe | $0.89 loaf/$0.07 slice
Ingredients
Challah Bread
- 5 cups all-purpose flour ($0.38)
- 5 tablespoons cane sugar ($0.03)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast ($0.12)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt ($0.01)
- 3 tablespoons melted vegan butter ($0.43)
- ¼ cup neutral vegetable oil ($0.44)
- 1 ¼ cups warm water (120-130F)
- Jam glaze
- 4 tablespoons apricot jam ($0.31)
- 2 tablespoons plant milk ($0.05)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the all-purpose flour, cane sugar, instant yeast, and salt. Whisk together until well combined.
- Next, add the melted vegan butter, vegetable oil, and warm water. Mix the dough with a spatula until shaggy. Continue kneading with your hands for 7-8 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl coated with oil, then brush the top of the dough with oil as well. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 1 ½ - 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
- Gently punch the air out of the dough and remove it from the bowl. Divide it into 2 even halves, then further divide the dough halves into 3 even pieces.
- Roll each piece into a snake-like shape with tapered ends, about 10-12 inches long. Place the 3 pieces side-by-side and pinch the ends together at the top.
- Braid the loaf by bringing each outer strand into the middle until you reach the end of the strands. Pinch the ends together, and tuck each end of the loaf under on itself. Repeat with the other loaf as well.
- Transfer both loaves onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap sprayed with cooking oil. Let proof for another 90 minutes, or until they’ve risen to about double in size, are puffy, and leave a slight indent when pushed on.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and mix together the apricot jam and plant milk to form the glaze. Brush the loaves with half of the glaze mixture, then bake them for 20 minutes.
- Brush on the rest of the glaze, then rotate the loaves to evenly cook both sides. Bake them for another 13-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and shiny. Let the loaves cool for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Vegan Challah Nutrition Notes
1 of 24 slices
Calories 146 | Total Fat 4 g | Saturated Fat 0.7 g | Cholesterol 0 mg | Sodium 159.8 mg | Total Carbohydrates 24.6 g | Dietary Fiber 0.8 g | Total Sugars 4 g | Protein 2.8 g | Calcium 6.7 mg | Iron 1.2 mg | Potassium 33.9 mg |
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