Challah Bread

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it’s probably my favorite homemade bread ever. The bread is soft and velvety. I used it to make the best French toast this morning. I cannot recommend it enough! I still need to work on the braiding or six strands, though.Here is a video that is helpful in braiding.
Enjoy! Oh, this dough also makes incredible cinnamon rolls, too!

Challah Bread        

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups warm water

½ cup honey

1 tbsp oil

4 eggs

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp yeast

7-9 cups flour

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1 egg, beaten

Poppy seeds or sesame seeds

HOW TO PREPARE:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients above the dotted line, except for flour. Add flour, cup by cup, until the dough comes together enough to start pulling aside from the bowl. Pour out onto a floured surface and knead, adding flour as you go to keep it smooth and not sticking to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes. Cover top of bread lightly with oil and cover. Allow to proof until the dough has almost doubled, about 1 ½ hours. Punch down. Divide dough in half and then each half into 6 pieces for a total of 12 pieces. Try to make them as even as possible. ROll the pieces out until they are about 1 inch in diameter. Pinch six braids together at the top and then braid. Gently transfer the braided challah to a greased jelly roll pan and cover with a light towel. Allow to rise again for about 30 minutes. Use a pastry brush to coat the loaves with beaten egg. Top with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Bake for 25-30 minutes.