mix yeast with one cup warm water and a sprinkle of sugar. let sit and bubble

combine one cup of water- boiling- in a bowl with 1 cup sugar and 2 Tbs salt. this will give a great soft texture to your challah!

mix until sugar dissolves.

add in remaining 2.5 cups water-warm-

add in oil and yeast mixture.

add in flour- mix after 6 cups- to create a soft dough.

turn onto a clean floured surface and knead, adding flour as necessary, till the dough is soft and easy to work with. this takes around 10 min- yes it is a workout!

place dough in a lightly floured or oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel for about 1 hour- or until doubled in size.

after taking challah, braid all the dough- recipe yields around 6 loaves.

*for Garlic Bottom Challah drizzle olive oil onto the baking sheet or loaf pan. Spread 2-4 crushed garlic cloves evenly on top, and if desired, add a sprinkle of rosemary.

place challah on baking sheets or in loaf pans, brush with egg, and sprinkle with sesame seeds/ everything topping/sweet crumb topping.

let challahs rest for 30-45 min. they should puff up quite a bit. because they have been brushed with egg there is no need to cover them.

preheat oven to 175 celcius.

place challahs in pre-heated oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, until a lovely golden color on top.

*TIP*If they tops are desired color but challah needs to cook on the inside a little more, cover loosely with aluminum foil.