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Gluten Free Low Sugar Challah
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4.38 from 37 votes

Gluten Free and Low Sugar Challah Bread

Challah, or traditional egg bread, can be made gluten free and with less sugar.
Prep Time1 hour 50 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 2 loaves

Ingredients

  • Flour alternative- 4 cups equivalent to flour. Using a combination seems to work well for this recipe.For example I use 2 cups of almond flour plus 2 cups of a rice flour or tapioca flour.
  • Xanthan Gum -1 teaspoon.
  • Salt- 1 teaspoon
  • Sugar Alternative- ½ cup equivalent to sugar.
  • Active Dry Yeast- 1 package /or 1 tablespoon.
  • Warm tap water- 1 cup
  • Sugar- 1 tablespoon- no subbing! see article above
  • Oil vegetable is usually used here- ¼ cup.
  • Eggs- 4 save one for later step.
  • Egg- an additional egg for the egg wash when we are ready to bake.
  • Topping- as desired

Instructions

  • Sift together your flour alternative, Xanthan Gum, and salt in a medium bowl. Gently mix in the sugar alternative using a fork or whisk. Set this aside. Meanwhile, in another bowl, coat the inside of this bowl with oil or cooking spray and set this aside as well.
  • In a mixing bowl, dissolve your yeast, tap water and sugar together by combining and mixing with a fork or whisk.The yeast will be active when you see a 'froth' develop which should take about 8-10 minutes.
  • In a larger mixing bowl, combine together
  • Now, in a mixing bowl, mix together the oil and eggs. Add the yeast mixture to this bowl and stir.
  • Slowly add the 'flour'/dry mixture to the mixing bowl, about a cup at a time, mixing between additions. Do not mover mix this. Kneading is not a necessity in this recipe.
  • Place the dough into the coated bowl from the first step. Cover this with plastic wrap or a clean cotton dish towel and allow to rise for about an hour. This bread will not rise as much as a regular wheat flour bread. However, you will get a rise out of it. Also, your dough may be a bit sticky as well.
  • When ready to braid, set out a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface. The parchment paper should be slightly larger than your pan as we will transfer to your pan for baking with the bread on the parchment paper. Divide the dough in half. Working with the first half of the dough, divide this into three parts for braiding. You could use as many as six strands however, three are so much easier to braid especially with this recipe. If your dough is too sticky to work with, try dusting it with a bit of your flour first.
  • When the braid is finished, transfer the parchment paper to the baking pan and repeat the last step for the other half of the dough.
  • Beat your remaining egg in a small bowl and then use a pastry brush to 'paint' the egg on the braids. You will most likely not use the entire egg to do this. Sprinkle your desired topping on top. Allow the bread to sit for at least 20-30 minutes.
  • When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350. Place the loaves in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until they start to brown. It is a good idea to rotate the bread halfway through to assure that it bakes evenly.
  • Allow the bread to cool before slicing. Or, if you are like me and cannot take the temptation any longer, make sure it is cool enough to not burn your mouth.

Recipe Notes

See article for alternatives.
most recently updated:
December 22, 2017

*About Sugar Alternatives

Specific sugar alternatives are not given in the recipes presented on this site. Only suggestions are given as to the 'kind' of alternative to use. It is up to you to select the alternative to use that suits your needs best. If the recipe is heated or cooked, it is best to use an alternative that can be heated or cooked with for best results. This site does not endorse any specific ingredients,

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Please note: Nutritional data has been calculated using a tool that comes with this recipe card and not by me. This means that Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that you use. The accuracy of this tool may differ from other tools as expected. Also note that there is no instructional value to the video that may be attached to this recipe. It is only there for visual pleasure. For more information about the images in this recipe, please refer the the recipe instructions. Thank you!

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