Six-strand challah braid

The softest, most delightful bread for a weekend.

Ingredients
3.75 cup flour
0.75 cup water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp honey
0.25 tsp salt
1.5 tsp yeast
2 eggs

Preparation
Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl. Add in 1.5 cups of flour and allow to bubble for 15 minutes. Cut in the butter and slowly work in the remaining flour.

Knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be very smooth and a little sticky.

Coat with a little oil and place in a covered bowl in a warm place for 1.5 hours. Cut into six equal pieces and stretch each into strands.

Bring the pieces together and distribute into three+three strands. Cross the outer strands over all the way to the other edge.

Bring down the one that was crossed first and place it in the middle. Replace it with a strand from the other side. Now bring down the other strand to the middle and replace it with one from the other side.

Continue on in this spirit, until you are at the end. Pinch the ends together and fold under. Now open up the starting end and braid that one as well, for a neater finish.

Brush lightly with oil and cover with foil. Allow to double in size in a warm place (1.5 hours). Brush with egg wash and bake in a 375F preheated oven until golden brown and cooked to the middle (~30-40 minutes).

Remove onto a cookie rack, cover and allow to cool. Perfect for French toast, bread pudding...or just to eat with some butter and honey.