Double-Braid Challah Bread With Sesame Seeds - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup very warm water (120-130F)
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Preparation

Mix all ingredients except milk and sesame seeds in a large bowl. The dough will be quite sticky at this point.
Turn out onto a liberally floured board and have additional flour close at hand. Knead, adding flour as it is absorbed, until the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, 5-10 minutes.
Oil a large bowl and place dough inside, turning to coat dough on all sides. Allow to rise 1-2 hours, or until at least doubled in size.
Divide dough into three sections. Take a third of each of the original three sections and reserve (there will be two braids; a large one for the bottom, and a smaller one for the top).
Grease a cookie sheet.
Roll and stretch the three larger sections of dough into ropes a little shorter than the sheet. Cross the tops of the ropes over one another and braid. Tuck braid ends under.
Repeat step 6 will smaller dough sections, except braid the ropes on top of the first, larger braid.
Grease double-braid liberally and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise 1-2 hours, or until at least doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375\u00b0F.
In a small bowl, combine milk and sesame seeds. Uncover double-braid. Use a pastry brush to brush mixture, or your hands to rub mixture, over double-braid.
Bake bread 20-30 minutes, or until deep golden brown.