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1
Butter a large bowl; set aside.
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2
Stir all remaining ingredients, except the egg for the egg wash and the butter for brushing, in a large bowl until well combined.
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3
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead the dough, adding flour if needed, until smooth and pliable, about 15 minutes.
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4
Transfer the dough to the buttered bowl; brush the top with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
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5
Loosely cover with plastic wrap.
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6
Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
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7
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead 5 minutes, then return to the bowl.
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8
Brush the top with the remaining tablespoon melted butter, and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
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9
Let the dough rise again until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour more.
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10
Preheat the oven to 375F.
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11
Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces.
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12
Roll each piece into a ball, and loosely cover each ball with buttered plastic wrap.
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13
Let rest 20 minutes.
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14
Roll each ball into a 12-inch-long log, leaving the middle a little thicker than the ends.
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15
Lay the logs side by side lengthwise; pinch together the ends farthest from you, then tightly braid the strands, pulling them as you go.
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16
Tuck the ends of the braid underneath.
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17
Transfer to a buttered baking sheet, and loosely cover with buttered plastic wrap.
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18
Let rise until almost doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
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19
Brush the dough lightly with egg wash. Bake until golden brown and firm and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the bottom registers 180F and comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
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20
If the challah browns too quickly, loosely tent with foil.
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21
Immediately transfer to a wire rack; let cool at least 45 minutes before serving.
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22
A dough that rises properly will approximately double in size; it will become smooth and puffy and feel very light.
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23
Punching down the dough releases excess gases that develop during risingone or two good punches should be sufficient.
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24
Separate the dough into thirds (use a kitchen scale to ensure they are of equal weight), and roll them into long strands.
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25
To make a loaf that swells generously in the middle like ours does, leave the center of each strand thicker than the ends.
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26
To braid, press the strand ends farthest from you together firmly, and then tuck them underneath to prevent the challah from unwinding while it rises.
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27
Braid the strands tightly so the loaf is smooth and uniform.
