Challah Bread

Ingredients

• 1/3 c honey
• 1&1/4 c water
• 2&1/4 tsp active, dry yeast
• 1&1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 c olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 5 c unbleached flour,  plus more if needed
• 2 Tbl olive oil
• 1 egg white
• 1 Tbl sugar

Directions

1. Dissolve honey in the water in a large mixing bowl & stir in yeast. Set the mixture aside until the yeast forms a creamy layer on top, about 15 minutes.
2. Stir in the salt, 2/3 c olive oil, & beaten eggs.
3. Add the flour 1 c at a time until the dough is slightly tacky, not sticky wet.
4. Turn it out onto a floured surface,  & knead until smooth and elastic,  about 10 minutes.
5. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough in the bowl, turn the dough over a few times, then let rise until doubled in a warm, draft-free place, about 90 minutes.
6. Separate the dough into three or six equal pieces, depending on the type of braid you’d like to do. Roll each piece of dough into a long rope roughly 1-inch thick and 16 inches long.
7. Gather the ropes and squeeze them together at the very top and braid dough (3 or 6 braid)
8. Line a baking sheet with parchment and lift the loaf on top. Sprinkle the loaf with a little flour and drape it with a clean dishcloth. Place the pan somewhere warm and away from drafts and  it rise until puffed and pillowy, about an hour.
9. About 20 minutes before baking, heat the oven to 350°F. When ready to bake, whisk the reserved egg white with a tablespoon of water and brush it all over the challah. Be sure to get in the cracks and down the sides of the loaf.
10. bake for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through cooking. The challah is done when it is deeply browned