I make this every week, it is excellent:
4 lbs flour (high gluten is best)
4 cups warm water
2 heaping tbsp dry yeast
2-3 tbsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
6 oz vegetable or canola oil
Put the dry yeast in the 4 cups warm water and pour on top of it the sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Pour the water/yeast/sugar mixture into the flour add oil and salt and knead.
Let sit for an hour or until doubles in size and then braid 3 big challos.
Let sit for 45 minutes then bake on 450 until very dark brown (about an hour). This makes the crust nice and crunchy and golden brown. You don’t need the egg wash. If you don’t like a crunchy crust then I don’t know what you would do. Also, it’s a good idea to put a 9×13 pan 1/3 full with water while the oven is preheating and while the challos are baking under the challos so that there is steam in the oven and it keeps the bottom of the challos from burning.