| 1 | Mix yeast in warm water. |
| 2 | Let sit 5 minutes. |
| 3 | In a large bowl combine salt, sugar, eggs and oil. |
| 4 | Add yeast mixture. |
| 5 | Slowly add flour, stirring until not too sticky. |
| 6 | When the dough becomes too thick to stir, turn it out onto a floured board and knead, adding flour as necessary. |
| 7 | Scrape the working surface with a plastic dough spatula from time to time, to keep a dry skin from forming on it. |
| 8 | You may find that you need more flour, but don"t add too much more, or the dough will become heavy. |
| 9 | Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). |
| 10 | Form dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled large bowl, turning to coat the dough with oil. |
| 11 | A ceramic bowl is best. |
| 12 | Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave in a warm, draft-free place to rise for 1 ?hours, or until doubled in bulk. |
| 13 | After the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into 6 balls. |
| 14 | Let the dough balls sit for 5 minutes, covered. |
| 15 | Keeping dough balls covered while working, remove a ball and roll it between your hands (or on working surface) into a cord about 1 inch wide by about 20 inches long. |
| 16 | The dough is quite elastic, making it nicely workable, yet also tending to make it shrink back slightly after being lengthened. |
| 17 | I find it best to lengthen it in a series of passes. |
| 18 | Form 3 cords this way, and then start from the middle and braid them into a single loaf. |
| 19 | Tuck the ends under. |
| 20 | It"s a little harder to figure out how to start braiding from the middle, but the loaves come out more even and attractive that way. |
| 21 | Don"t pull the cords while braiding. |
| 22 | Place the loaf on a lightly oiled baking sheet, and cover it with a cloth while you form the other loaf. |
| 23 | Keep the loaves well apart on the baking sheet, since they will expand a lot. |
| 24 | Cover the loaves and place again into a warm, draft-free place to rise for 45-60 minutes. |
| 25 | After the loaves have risen, gently brush the tops with beaten egg using a soft brush, and then sprinkle with the seeds. |
| 26 | Bake at 350 °F. |
| 27 | For 30 minutes, or until golden brown. |
| 28 | : continued in part 2 : |
