Step 1

Add the active sourdough starter, water, and flour to a bowl. Mix until combined, cover, and rest in a warm spot for four hours or until the levain has doubled in size.

Step 2

In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine water, levain, eggs, and honey. Add flour to the bowl, turn the mixer on, and mix for about 2 minutes until the dough comes together. You want to use the dough hook attachment for this. Cover the bowl and autolyse/rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Turn the mixer on again and add the salt and 1/4 of the oil. Knead for 2 minutes or until the oil is thoroughly mixed in. Then, add another part of the oil and knead on low-medium speed until fully incorporated. Repeat until all the oil has been added. This dough is on the stiffer side, so depending on your mixer, you might have to squeeze the dough with your hands a little to thoroughly mix in the oil. Be patient with this part. The key is to add a little oil at a time.

Step 4

Once you have added all the oil, knead for 5-10 minutes on low-medium until the dough passes the windowpane test.

Step 5

Oil a large baking bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, and lightly oil the top of the dough as well. Cover the bowl and rise for five hours at around 75°F/24°C.

Step 6

Transfer the dough to the fridge and cold-proof for 10-15 hours or overnight.

Step 7

Dump the dough onto a work surface. It's usually not necessary to flour the work surface at this point. The dough should be cold and stiff and shouldn't stick to your hands or surface.

Step 8

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Use your scale for accuracy so that each strand ends up being the same size. Then roll each piece into seamless rounds. Cover with an oiled piece of plastic wrap and rest for 10 minutes.

Step 9

Roll each round into rectangles about 8 in/20 cm long using a rolling pin. Grab one of the long sides of the rectangle and roll it up like a roulade. Suppose the dough resists you at any point, cover and let it rest for a couple more minutes. Repeat on all six dough rounds. Cover the roulades and rest for another 10 minutes.

Step 10

Use your hands to roll and extend the roulades into 40-45 cm strands. I like to do this in two rounds; I'll start with strand 1 and extend it until it starts to resist me, then I'll continue with strand 2, extend until it resists, and repeat with all the strands. Then, I'll start with strand 1 again and extend it until it reaches the desired length of 40-45 cm.

Step 11

Flour your work surface, and if your dough strands are a little sticky, lightly flour those as well. Use a pastry brush to remove excess flour, and be sure not to use too much. Then, arrange the strands side by side - group together at the top and pinch to fasten.

Step 12

I recommend watching the recipe video for this part. Writing this recipe, I realize just how difficult it is to explain braiding technique in writing, but I'll try my best:

Step 13

Braid the challah a little loose to make sure it has room to expand during the final proof. First, the far-right strand goes over the far-left strand, far left strand goes over the far-right strand—a simple criss-cross.

Step 14

Now, for the repeating pattern, the far left strand goes to the middle. The second far-right strand goes all the way across. The far-right strand goes to the middle. The second far left goes all the way across. Far-left to the middle... and so on. Repeat all the way down to create your 6-stranded challah.

Step 15

Pinch and tuck the ends to seal your braid.

Step 16

Transfer your challah to a lined baking tray. Loosely cover the tray with plastic wrap and place the tray in a warm spot around 78°F/26°C*. Proof for 4-6 hours, or until the challah has risen and is nicely puffed up. The bread should jiggle when you shake the tray.

Step 17

Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C.

Step 18

Mix up your egg wash by whisking together egg and water.

Step 19

Gently brush your challah with egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Step 20

Bake for 25-35 minutes, until golden. Cover with foil if it browns too quickly. Internal temperature should be at 95C/203F when it is done.

Step 21

Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.