Recipe: Holiday Challah With Raisins

 Sift 3 3/4 cups flour into a large bowl. Make a large well in the center. Pour in 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Sprinkle yeast on top and add sugar. Leave for 10 m inutes until yeast is foamy. Whisk honey with remaining 3 tablespoons water until blended. Add honey mixture, oil, eggs and salt to well. Mix with a wooden spoon until ingredients begin to come together to a dough. Continue mixing dough by hand. Knead dough vigorously on a work surface, gradually adding remaining 4 tablespoons flour, until dough is very smooth, fairly stiff and no longer sticky. (This takes about 12 minutes.) Transfer to a clean oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until nearly doubled in volume.

 Remove dough again to a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Return to bowl, cover and let rise 30 to 45 minutes or until nearly doubled. Pat dough to a 9-inch square on work surface. Sprinkle evenly with raisins. Roll up tightly from 1 end to the other, as you would a jelly roll; lightly flour surface if dough begins to stick. Cut roll of dough in 2 equal parts to make 2 loaves.

 To form smooth round loaves, roll 1 part of dough back and forth on a work surface, pressing with your palms, to form a smooth rope about 2 feet long. Twist dough around 1 end in a spiral; pull other end upward over spiral and press it on center of loaf. Press whole loaf firmly with your hands to give it an even dome shape. Repeat with second part of dough.

 Oil 2 baking sheets. Set breads carefully on them. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise about 45 minutes or until nearly doubled in volume.

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush each challah with beaten egg. Bake about 20 minutes or until beginning to brown. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake about 25 more minutes or until bottom of bread sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a rack.

 For braided crown-shaped challah: Roll dough up with raisins and cut in 2 equal parts. Divide 1 part of dough into thirds. Roll each back and forth on a work surface, pressing with your palms, to form a smooth rope about 12 inches long and tapered slightly at ends. Put ropes side by side, with 1 end of each closer to you. Join ends far from you, covering end of rope on your right with end of center rope, then end of left rope. Press to join. To braid, bring outer ropes alternately over center rope; braid tightly. Pinch ends to join ropes. Bring ends of braid together, curving braid into a circle, and pinch ends together.

 Repeat with second part of dough. After brushing with egg, sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds if desired. Bake as above.