Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the wet ingredients adding in the water gradually. Mix thoroughly using a Danish dough whisk or wooden spoon until the dough comes together.

Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rest for 20 – 30 minutes.

Fold and turn the dough a few times, then shape into a ball and recover.

Let the dough bulk ferment until doubled; 45 minutes to an hour.

Form into a Braided loaf

Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 3 balls about 280 grams each. Cover and let them rest on the counter for 20 minutes.

Roll each ball into a long rope. Then braid a 3-strand braid.  Place the braid in a 9×5-inch greased parchment-lined loaf pan tucking the ends under if necessary.

For detailed instructions, including a photo tutorial, on braiding breads, refer Making Braided Bread: Challah.

Or shape into a regular pan loaf

Alternately, shape the loaf as a regular pan loaf by rolling it out (whether with a rolling pin or just by hand) to about 1/2 inch in thickness. The width should be no wider than the bread pan you intend to use. Then, roll up the dough tightly and make sure it seals well at the end.

Cover the braid with plastic wrap and allow it to double in size (should crest nicely above the rim of the pan). This will take 45 minutes to an hour.  If you decided to make a free-form braid, just cover it with plastic wrap and allow it to double on the sheet pan.

Bake the loaf

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and place an empty steam pan on the bottom rack.

Whisk the extra egg (or egg white) and add a couple of teaspoons of water to make an egg wash.

Once the loaf is doubled, and just before placing in the oven, brush on the egg wash.

Transfer the loaf to the oven.  Immediately add 1 cup of ice cubes to the steam pan and close the door.

Bake the loaf, turning the pan part way through baking, until the crust is a rich golden brown, about 20 minutes.

At the end of 20 minutes, remove the loaf from the pan and check if the lower crust is browned enough. If it is not sufficiently browned, place the loaf on a sheet pan or baking sheet, and put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes.

Allow to cool completely on a rack before slicing.