Challah is a braided bread traditionally made for the Jewish Sabbath. It contains eggs and usually is sprinkled with poppyseed.
Challah is easy to make and more forgiving than, say, sourdough, because it contains eggs, oil and sugar. Start with dissolving 1 teaspoon of yeast in 1 cup of tap water and mixing in 1 cup of flour. After an hour or so at room temperature add a spoonful of yeast, three yolks, 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 cups of flour and mix well. Add 1/3 cup of oil (refined canola is OK, good salad oil will be lost, but won't hurt), mix in, and add up to 1 cup of the flour. The dough should remain loose enough you can turn it with the spoon, but not too loose. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise for 3-6 hours.
Deflate the dough, knead it briefly on the floured board, divide in three pieces. Make long "ropes" and bride them, pinching ends together. Turn the oven on (425 F). Smear the challah with diluted molasses and sprinkle with poppyseed. Bake for 35 minutes, let cool on the rack.
See also: kitchen, homemade bread, bread flour, almond macaroons, chicken soup, knedle.