Add the remaining sugar, salt, eggs, and vegetable shortening. Add the dissolved yeast and stir with a spoon.

Dissolve yeast in warm water with a big pinch of sugar.

Bake in middle of oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden.

Continue until bread is decorated with seeds. (If freezing, remove from freezer 5 hours before baking.) Then dip your index finger in the egg wash, then into poppy or sesame seeds and then onto a mound of bread.

To bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush loaves again.

Either freeze breads or let rise another hour in refrigerator if preferred.

Beat remaining egg and brush it on loaves.

Place braided loaves on a greased cookie sheet with at least 2 inches in between. For a circular loaf, twist into a circle, pinching ends together. For a straight loaf, tuck ends underneath. Continue this until all strands are braided. Start over with what is now the outside right strand. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands.

Place the 6 in a row, parallel to one another. With your hands, roll each ball into a strand about 12 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. To make a 6-braid challah, either straight or circular, take half the dough and form it into 6 balls.Punch down dough, cover and let rise again in a warm place for another half-hour. Dough may also rise in an oven that has been warmed to 150 degrees then turned off. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until almost doubled in size. Clean out bowl and grease it, then return dough to bowl. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.(You can also use a mixer with a dough hook for both mixing and kneading.) When dough holds together, it is ready for kneading. Whisk oil into yeast, then beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt.In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water.

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