Italian Challah

NOTE: everything above (except the eggs) is by weight. All of my breads are by weight, so if you don't have scale, get one rather than guessing. Also, you could make this by hand (I've done it in a pinch), but my mixer's dough hook spoiled me long ago. 1. Add the flour to your mixing bowl. 2. Zero out your scale and then measure out your olive oil by pouring slowly into the bowl (no waste transferring containers). 3. Weigh out remaining ingredients except water and add them to the bowl. Reserve the whites from the one yolk for use as egg wash later. 4. Place your mixing bowl under your mixer with the dough hook attachment, weigh out your hot water, and then add it to the bowl. If you use Red Star active dry yeast, it LOVES the hotter water and you do NOT need to proof it. 5. Mix on low until ingredients start to together. Then, turn up to whatever is appropriate to your mixer for a medium speed that won't burn out the motor. Knead for 10-13 minutes. 6. Remove from bowl, round out into a dough ball and place in a large, covered container (plastic wrap of some sort) to proof for about an hour. 7. Once dough has doubled in volume, punch down and divide into whatever you'd like to use the bread for. See public notes section below. 8. Allow to rise again for 45 minutes to an hour. Set oven to 375 degrees. 9. Before placing in oven, brush loaf / dough pieces with egg wash if you like. Don't score the bread as I feel it mars the color. 10. Place in oven, and toss a cup of water into the bottom of the oven, and back for 10 minutes. Then, rotate and back another 10 minutes until golden brown.