Combine all of the dough ingredients, and mix and knead them with the dough hook attachment on your mixer until you’ve made a smooth, somewhat sticky dough (I kneaded mine in the machine for 5 minutes).
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set it aside to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours; it should have expanded somewhat, but won’t be wildly puffy.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, divide it into four pieces. For each of the four pieces, divide them into another three pieces.
Roll out three pieces to be long ropes about 1/2 inch in diameter. Make braid with the 3 ropes. Repeat with other pieces so you have four braids total. Pick two pieces to be the bottom pieces of the braided loaf. Then put a braid on top of each. Cover with plastic wrap for about 90 minutes, until they look puffy, though not doubled in bulk.
Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 35-40 minutes, until lightly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 190"F (I didn't bother with the instant read thermometer. I just inserted a knife into it).
