Shabbat Shalom! This recipe for a gluten-free challah is dairy-free and can be made egg-free if needed. The recipe calls for 51 percent oat flour, the only gluten-free grain mentioned in the Torah. Read this article for details on why oat flour is an essential ingredient in gluten-free challah. This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosures.
The wait is over. If you love challah but have struggled to make it gluten free and kosher for Shabbat, you are in for a real treat!
Let’s say “amen,” because I have figured out how to make a delicious gluten-free challah recipe that everyone will love … even your overly-critical gluten-eating friends.
This post includes my gluten-free challah recipe so you can finally say “Shabbat Shalom” with a hamotzi-worthy challah bread made without the sticky gluten protein (and without the tummy aches and urgent bathroom runs too).
Please note that my recipe is free from gluten, corn, dairy, soy and can easily be made egg-free too.
Scroll down to learn how I make this a sweet challah for Rosh Hashanah as well.
Note: If you’re not in the mood to make gluten-free challah from scratch, take a look at these gluten-free challah mixes.
Recipe Origins
On my quest to find a good gluten-free challah recipe, I found an article on Kveller.com about how challah can only be “taken” if made with one of the five grains mentioned in the Torah. The five grains mentioned are barley, rye, wheat, oat, and spelt.
As you can see, the only gluten-free grain of the five is oat.
Apparently bread made from other gluten-free grains (like rice and buckwheat) can be Kosher, but you cannot say, “hamotzi” or call it a challah.
Verid Meir, the author of the article, says she consulted with her rabbi who told her that the oat flour must be at minimum 51 percent of the total flour content in the bread in order for it to be considered a challah.
That’s what Meir, and many Jews like me, have attempted to do. Make a challah that contains at least 51 percent oat flour.
Gluten-free flour isn’t always easy to find as not all mainstream grocery stores carry it. Thank goodness for Amazon! Here is the exact gluten-free oat flour I use.
You Need a Challah Mold Pan
This recipe is sticky. Oh-so-sticky! You cannot braid it let alone handle it without it sticking to your fingers.
And that’s why you need a challah mold pan.
I may not get to eat “real” challah, but I still want my challah to look like a braided challah! That’s why I bought the following challah–shaped mold pan.
I simply put my dough into the pan after mixing it and allow the dough to rise inside the challah mold pan. Once the dough rises, I bake it.
You can see my pan has been used a lot as it’s starting to show some wear and tear. It may look funky, but it still works like a charm!
Alternatively, I found this beautiful stainless steel challah mold pan and love it even more! It’s my go-to pan and doesn’t show the same wear and tear as the silicon version. You can find it here instead.
It’s more narrow and shallower than the other pan, but it has held up much better. If using the stainless steel pan, you’ll need to shave about 10 minutes off the baking time.
Don’t Have a Challah Pan
Don’t worry, if you do not have a challah-shaped pan, or don’t want to invest in one, you can simple bake the dough in a loaf pan or a bundt pan (for a round-shaped challah).
How to Make Gluten-Free Challah
Here’s how to make this wonderful gluten-free challah recipe:
Step #1: Gather Your Ingredients
The first thing you’ll want to do is assemble all your ingredients. In addition to the challah-shaped mold pan, you’ll also need a few different flours. Remember, you cannot substitute any old rice flour for wheat flour, rather you need to combine a variety of starches and flours to get the just-right texture.
Also, in order for it to be hamotzi-worthy challah, you must use gluten-free oat flour vs. a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend.
Here are the flours you need to make this recipe:
- Gluten-Free Oat Flour – Make sure it’s gluten-free oat flour; regular oat flour is not safe.
- Tapioca Flour – This is super starchy, like potato starch, and will give the challah a chewy texture.
- Brown Rice Flour – Brown rice flour is readily available in most grocery stores. You can also use sorghum flour. I have tested it with both flours for great results.
- Xanthan Gum – This is required to help bind all the ingredients together. Don’t skip it! You can also use guar gum instead of xanthan gum.
Step #2: Activate Yeast
Combine warm water, yeast and honey in a bowl, mix together, and allow the yeast to activate for 3-6 minutes. The yeast will activate more quickly in warmer temperatures.
Do not use expired or old yeast. If the yeast doesn’t bubble as shown in the above picture, it may be dead. (Remember, yeast is a living food.)
Step #3: Made Challah Dough
While the yeast is activating, combine the oat flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
Next, combine all your wet ingredients – the oil, eggs (or flax eggs – see below for egg-free details), apple cider vinegar and the activated yeast mixture – in a large bowl. It’s easiest if you use the bowl attached to your standing mixer if you have one as the dough is sticky and hard to mix by hand (doable, but it’s easier with a standing mixer.)
Finally, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients while mixing on low for a minute or until everything is well combined, scraping the sides to ensure the all the flour is well incorporated. The dough will be very sticky!
Step #4: Rise Time
Add your dough to your lightly greased challah mold pan and flatten it into shape with a spatula. Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and allow it about 90 minutes to 2 hours to rise. It will rise faster in warm conditions.
To ensure a good rise, which is essential to a light and doughy bread (don’t skip this part!), place the challah pan (with dough) on a warming mat. This is the exact warming mat I use and it gives my challah a beautiful rise every time!
Step #5: Bake Challah
The bread should rise and look like it’s about doubled in size as pictured.
Put the pan in a 375º F preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until slightly brown. If you bake it in the metal pan, it will need about 28-30 minutes. It may need 35 or more minutes in the silicon pan. Watch challah carefully to ensure it doesn’t burn (it should brown nicely though).
Leave the challah in your pan for 10 minutes to cool before flipping it upside down onto a wire rack.
Here is what a fully baked challah looks like when baked in the stainless steel pan:
Here is what the challah looks like when baked in the silicone challah pan. Please note I added an extra 1/4 cup of honey to the following challah and it made it puff up nicely!
Step #6: Shabbat Shalom
Now that you have your wonderful challah, you are ready for Shabbat. You will love how doughy this challah is on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. It’s truly the perfect gluten-free challah recipe and will compliment your Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
FAQs, Tips and More
Here are a few answers to your most frequently asked questions:
1. Can I make it without eggs?
Yes, you can make this recipe with flax eggs instead. I’ve made this recipe both ways and both offer a light, chewy texture. The flax egg version is a denser challah, but still very doughy and tasty.
To make one flax egg, simply combine one tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal with three tablespoons of warm water. Let the mixture sit for five minutes. (Note: You’ll need two flax eggs for this recipe, so two tablespoons of flaxseed meal + six tablespoons of warm water.) After five minutes, the flax will gel and voila, you have a flax egg to use in lieu of a regular egg.
2: Don’t have a challah mold pan?
Obviously I think anyone making gluten-free challah with any sort of regularity should invest in a challah mold pan, but if you don’t have one, simply use a large loaf pan.
3. Is this challah kosher?
Yes, just be sure to use kosher ingredients. All the Bob’s Red Mill flour I use are kosher.
4. Can I braid this challah?
Unfortunately, no. The dough is too sticky.
If you want to make a braided challah, you can try these awesome gluten-free challah mixes by Blends by Orly. (Please note some of the mixes come in a box and others come in the pouch packaging.)
I made the Blends By Orly gluten-free challah mix and thought they turned out pretty good. Not as doughy and stretchy as my challah, but still good.
Please note that the Blends By Orly does not contain enough oat flour to be hamotzi-worthy. That said, it gives you that flavor and look of challah you might be going for.
5. How can I make it a sweet challah (or round challah) for Rosh Hashanah?
To make this challah round for Rosh Hashanah, use a round bundt pan instead of a challah mold pan since. It works fantastically! You may want to even double the recipe so you get a large, round challah at the end of the day.
Rosh Hashanah challahs are also sweet. To make this challah sweet, I suggest adding 1/4 cup of applesauce and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter, and then fold in 1/2 cup (or more) of raisins.
You can also add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the bottom of the bundt pan, then add your dough. This will ensure the top of the challah is extra sweet for the New Year.
6. Create challah mixes to save time
Working with all the ingredients does take a lot of time. You have to pull our four different flours everytime you want to make it.
I have a trick! I add all the dry ingredients into zip top bags for the month. Then I only have to measure ingredients once per month. When I’m ready to make the challah, I combine all my dry ingredients and then pour a bag of the dry ingredients and I’m done.
Each bag contains:
- 1.5 cups gluten-free oat flour
- 1 cup tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour
- 1 tablespoon xanthan gum
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
Pre-making the challah mixes has saved me so much time (and mess) over the years. I hope it helps you too.
7. How to make mini-challah loaves
If you’re the only one enjoying the gluten-free challah, instead of making one big challah, make mini challah loaves.
To do this, divide the dough into 9 cavities of a mini loaf pan. I double the recipe and fill all 18 cavities of my extra-large mini loaf pan. Alternatively, if you don’t have a mini loaf pan, use a 12-cavity muffin pan instead.
Be sure to grease the loaf pan or muffin pan well.
Let the dough rise in the pan, then bake it up (it needs only 15-20 minutes in the oven) and freeze each mini challah in a zip top bag. Take one mini loaf out of the freezer on Friday morning and it’ll be ready for Shabbat dinner.
Ready to Make Gluten-Free Challah?
However you slice it, I hope you enjoy this gluten-free challah recipe as much as me. It is my go-to challah recipe and is beloved by so many of my friends and family.
Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom!
Other Recipes for Shabbat
You might enjoy these other recipes for Shabbat.
Savory Beef Brisket: A delicious brisket perfectly slow cooked and gedempt.
Gluten-Free Carrot Ring: This festive side dish is sweet but goes perfectly with any festive dinner.
Gluten-Free Challah Recipe
Equipment
- Challah mold pan
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup honey (add another 1/4 cup of honey for extra rise and a touch of sweetness)
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour 200 grams
- 1 cup tapioca starch/flour 140 grams
- 1/2 cup brown rice flour 40 grams – see notes
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp xanthan gum
- 2 large eggs or see notes for egg-free version
- 1/4 cup avocado or vegetable oil of choice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Activate yeast by combining warm water, yeast and honey in a small bowl. Whisk it together and allow it 4-6 minutes to begin to bubble and froth. If it doesn't bubble, your yeast may be old or expired.
- While yeast is activating, combine the oat flour, tapioca flour, brown rice flour, xanthan gum and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
- In the large bowl attached to your standing mixer, add oil, eggs, apple cider vinegar and yeast mixture. If you don't have a standing mixer, simply add the ingredients to a large bowl. I recommend using a standing mixer as the dough is difficult to mix by hand.
- With your mixer running on low, slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until well combined or for about 1 minute. Scrape the sides to ensure all flour is incorporated.
- Add dough to a lightly greased challah mold pan (recommend) or large loaf pan. Cover the dough with a clean dish towel and let it rise for at least two hours. It needs to rise in a warm environment for best results. The dough should double in size. If it does not rise, it may need more time, a warmer location, or it could mean your yeast is dead. I use a heating mat to ensure a consistent rise each time (see notes).
- Preheat your oven to 375º F and bake for about 30-35 minutes until lightly browned on top. If using a metal challah pan, bake for less time, if using a silicone challah mold pan, bake for more time. Watch challah carefully to ensure it doesn't burn. You want a browned crust.
- Remove challah from oven and allow it 5-10 minutes to cool in the pan before flipping it onto a wire rack to continue cooling. Enjoy and Shabbat Shalom!
Excellent! So happy that I finally found this recipe! Thank you 🙂
Dear Jenny,
I just took my gluten free challah out of the oven. My husband who isn’t gluten free went crazy over it. This is the answer to my prayers. Light and wonderful texture. BTW, I followed your recipe to a T. It was quick and easy. Thank you so much!!!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rochelle
I removed it from the recipe but added it to the notes for Rosh Hashanah. Add 1/4-1/2 cup. It’ll make it extra doughy.
What happened to the apple sauce ? It used to be an ingredient and it came out amazing with it and now I don’t remember the measurements
According to the sefer Birchas Hanehenin of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, quoting shulchan a rich, there is no need for it to be 51 percent oat flour to be hamozi..any amount of flour of grain mixed with flour of kitnius becomes hamozi because the grain flour is considered the main thing.
Hooray! A gluten free challah that is edible and enjoyable. I think the best part is how simple it is to make. I have the silicone mold so I think that requires a little more baking time in my oven. Even though it was a little doughy, it was so tasty that my gluten-eating hubby wanted more! I appreciate the make ahead tips. This recipe is a keeper!
Yay I’m so glad you love it!! Shabbat shalom
I made this for the first time 6 weeks ago as muffins and took out 2 every Friday. I used buckwheat flour in place of brown rice flour. I’m about to bake another batch tomorrow. It’s so wonderful to have challah again! My husband, who would normally be eating regular challah, really likes these too, which is nice for both of us. Thank you for this excellent recipe.
What a great idea! So glad you love this recipe.
Wonderful recipe, I modified it by doing 2 cups of oat flour. 1 1/2 Tbs xanthan gum. The consistency comes out just thick enough that it can be rolled into small balls (like matza balls). I used mini loaf pans & putting 3 or 4 balls of dough into the pan and it comes out looking like it was braided across 1 or 2 times. No need for a mold.
I’m so glad you love it. I think the small/medium one will work. The large is good if you double the recipe.
Good morning Jenny!
I wanted to tell you how happy I am to have found your Challah recipe. I follow a whole food plant based diet and I have always struggled replacing the white flour in any Challah bread recipe. Whole wheat Challah just ends up like a brick…so then a light bulb went on…why not make it gluten free and use other whole grains ? My daughter and her partner are gluten free so I could also share the Challah with them. I found your recipe online, bought the Challettes silicone molds (easy to share and it helps me eat less of it :)). https://www.thekoshercook.com/challah-pans/royal-challah-silicone-pans/royal-challah-silicone-pan-challettes.html.
Now every Friday my daughter and her partner are looking forward to their special Shabbat delivery and my non-gluten free husband loves the Challah too.
To be completely vegan, I substitute the honey with date syrup. I often use lupin flour instead of rice flour. When I was once out of xanthan gum I used psyllium husk powder and it worked very well too.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe! I try not to eat too much bread but this has become now our Shabbat treat.
I was thinking of purchasing also the regular Challah mold. The company offers 3 sizes: small/medium and large. Would you mind telling me which size is best for your recipe?
Thank you!