Challah Bread

For Christmas, I got this adorable King Arthur Flour Dough Whisk. It's like a magic wand that whisks together flour and water and makes dough. So I decided to try making sweet and delicious challah bread. I'm not Jewish, but this bread rocks.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water.
2. Beat in honey, oil, 1 egg, and salt.
3. Add the flour one cup at a time, beating after each addition, graduating to kneading with hands as dough thickens.
4. Knead until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky, adding flour if needed.
5. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let rise for 1 1/2 hours, until dough has doubled in bulk.
6. Punch down the risen dough and turn out onto floured board.
7. Knead for five minutes or so, adding flour as needed to keep from getting sticky.
8. Divide into thirds and roll into long snakes about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
9. Pinch the ends of the three snakes together firmly and braid the three pieces together, pinching the remaining ends together like the beginning.
10. Place finished braid on a greased a cookie tray.
11. Cover with towel and let rise about one hour.
12. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
13. Beat the remaining egg and brush a generous amount over the braid.
14. Bake for 40 minutes. Bread should have a nice hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.
15. Cool on a rack for at least one hour before slicing.