Challah Bread

Ok - warning - this makes A LOT of bread. If you have anything smaller than a big KitchenAid mixer then I would think about cutting the recipe in half the first time to see how much space you have. I got this recipe from a friend who sort of made it up based on some other recipes and just making it so often, so I hope you like it!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons active dry yeast
4 cups warm water
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
12 cups all-purpose flour

1 egg
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla sugar or vanilla extract

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water. Let stand for about 5 minutes to dissolve the yeast (make sure it is foamy and has a nice yeasty smell). Stir in the salt, sugar, oil, eggs and egg yolks until well blended. Gradually mix in the flour (I use the bread hook on my mixer). When the dough becomes too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Split dough in half and put each half in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover bowls with towels and let rise until doubled in size (probably about 2 hours).

2. Punch down the dough and divide each half in half again (so you have four pieces). Divide each piece again into thirds. Roll each piece into ropes. Braid into four loaves. (Here is where you could save some time if you don't want to make the braids and just put the dough in a loaf pan.) Tuck the ends under the braided loaves and place on a baking sheet to rise until your finger leaves a small dent when you gently poke the bread (maybe another hour? You will be able to tell when it is nice and fat and ready!).

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees-F. Whisk together the remaining egg, water and vanilla sugar or extract. Brush over the tops of the loaves.

. Bake for 25 (?) minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bread is deep golden brown. (Ok - watch the loaves carefully and turn down the oven and/or cover the bread if you need to. I sometimes have trouble with the bottom cooking too fast and then if I move it onto a higher rack the top will start to burn if I don't put foil on it. So, just a tip- don't just put it in the oven and walk away - keep an eye on it and use your best judgment.)