Mom'S Challah, Second Version - cooking recipe

Ingredients

7 teaspoons dry yeast (3 pkgs)
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups warm water
3/4 cup oil
1 tablespoon salt
4 eggs, slightly beaten
8 cups flour
1 egg, beaten with a little water
poppy seeds (optional) or sesame seeds (optional)
raisins, for holidays (optional)

Preparation

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water and set aside. It will soon start bubbling.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, 2 cups of water, oil and salt. Mix.
Add the eggs and the yeast mixture and mix well.
Add 4 cups of flour, and mix well again. Add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead knead knead. (If you are doing this in a mixer, just knead in the mixer.) When it is smooth and elastic, it is done. You may need to add a little extra flour or water to get it to that earlobe consistency. You can add the raisins here if you'd like.
Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp towel, and let it rise until doubled in size.
Punch down, knead another few minutes, and return to the bowl for another rising.
Divide into thirds (by cutting with a knife; don't pull), and shape into loaves.
Heat oven to 350\u00b0F
Place each loaf in a prepared pan or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with the egg/water mixture, and sprinkle with seeds if you wish.
Bake for about 45 minutes. When done, the loaves will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.