Perfect Challah

Directions

1. 1
   ["(This can be made in your bread machine, just use the above ingredients and follow the directions for your machine.)", "1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, pour in 1 cup of hot water. Make sure the water is hot but not boiling! If it boils, it will kill the yeast. Also add 1/2 cup of honey and the yeast. Let it sit in the bowl for at least 5 minutes to allow the yeast to proof.", "2. In a separate bowl, mix together 4 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and set aside.", "3. In another bowl or measuring cup, mix together 2 eggs and 1/4 cup of vegetable oil and set aside.", "4. After the yeast has proofed for 5 minutes, slowly stir in the egg and oil mixture. Then, with the mixer on low speed, stir in the dry ingredients, one cup at a time. Give the dry ingredients time to mix in before adding the next cup. If you still feel the dough is too sticky or wet, add in another 1/2 cup of flour. If you feel it is too dry, pour in another tablespoon of hot water.", "5. Once the dough is mixed together and has formed a nice smooth dough ball in the mixer, turn the speed up one setting and allow the mixer to do the kneading for you for 3 minutes.", "6. Once the dough is kneaded, take it out of the bowl with your hands, take the bowl off the mixer and spray the bowl with some cooking spray. Smooth the dough by turning it down on itself and then toss it in the cooking spray coated bowl and leave the smooth side up. Put the bowl in a warm place (I put mine on the stove underneath the stove light) and cover lightly with a clean tea towel.", "7. Let the dough sit and rise for 1 hour. After an hour, punch it down lightly with your fingertips. Cover it again with the towel and let it rise for another hour.", "8. Once the second hour has passed, preheat your oven to 350\u00b0F.", "9. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Here is where you can go two different ways.", "10. For 2 regular sized loaves: If you want to make 2 loaves, split the dough in half. Split each half into thirds so you can braid it into a traditional challah. Stretch the thirds into long snakes (about 10-12 inches long). Lay the three \"snakes\"" next to each other and pinch the top of the 3 strips tightly together. Then just braid the challahs like you would braid hair