Gluten-Free Challah Recipe for Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah

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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.