Quick & Easy Egg Challahs

• 1/2 cup oil
• 2&1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup sugar; for sweeter challahs use up to 3/4 cup sugar
• 9 cups sifted flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons dry yeast

Put the dough together in the order specified. Start to knead it (in your mixer with the dough hook if you have one, if not, by hand). As it turns into a dough, use your judgment; if it's still too dry, add bits more water until the dough is a nice consistency. To get it to clear the sides of the bowl and be elastic and smooth, now add in bits more of oil, until it is a smooth, somewhat firm, slightly sticky dough. Knead for a total of 10 minutes, not more. Let it rest 15 minutes, covered. Knead another 2-3 minutes. Turn it out into a greased bowl, turning once so that all sides are coated. Cover with plastic and let it rise for one – one and a half hours. Punch the dough down and you are ‘ready to roll’! Shape the challahs into the desired sizes and shapes. Cover the challahs loosely with a large piece of plastic. Let them rise 45 min - 55 min. Preheat the oven somewhere along the line to 375°F/ 190°C from 20 minutes PRIOR to baking time. Brush your risen challahs with an egg wash, sprinkle with topping or seeds, slide them into your oven, and bake them until golden top and bottom. Please note: The small amount listed here needs challah separated, but without the bracha/ blessing. To be "mafrish challah", ie to separate challah according to the parameters of the mitzvah with a bracha, one should double this recipe. Learn more about Hafrashat Challah here. Yield: 3 medium to large challahs, 4-5 small ones