I learned this recipe from my friend, Holly, who calls it Jennifer's Challah. The recipe doubles well. Bread keeps well in a ziplock bag on the counter for several days, and it freezes well, too. A few notes: Holly always uses at least one cup of whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour. Re: hot water*, you can use hot tap water, but if you are worried your tap water is too hot — mine is scalding — you can use ¼ cup boiling water and ¾ cup cold water, which will give you lukewarm water, which will work just fine. A few things I have learned over the past few months: a double egg wash creates a beautifully golden and shiny finish to the challah. Baking on two sheetpans prevents the bottom of the challah from burning. As for shaping, there are lots of resources on youtube for shaping challah. I included one video below for making the round challah, though I really need to get Holly on camera — her four-braided challah is SO pretty.