Baking Bread

I had a little free time today, so I decided to give my kneading muscles a workout by mixing up a batch of challah.

My challah days began in college. I think I made bread every Saturday of my senior year for our pasta & parsha Bible studies. It took a bit of adjusting various recipes before I finally settled on my own version. I personally think it's the best bread ever!
I should warn you, it takes a considerable amount of time to make - mix, wait to rise, knead, braid, wait to rise, then finally bake - but it is definitely worth it.

Tracy's Challah
2 1/2 cups warm water (110 F)
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup honey
4 Tbsp. oil
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. salt
5 cups unbleached flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
extra flour for kneading

In a mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water. Add salt, oil, honey, and eggs. Add whole wheat flour, then unbleached flour one cup at a time, mixing well after each cup. (After about cup 6 you might need to mix by hand.)
Cover with a wet dishtowel and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours. Pull out half of the dough onto a floured surface. Knead for about 3 minutes. Divide into thirds and braid. Repeat for second half. Let rise, covered, on baking sheets for 1 1/2 hours. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350 until light brown. Serve with honey.

I'll add pictures of the steps along the way. :)