In a large bowl, combine half of the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let this sit for 5 minutes, or until foamy.

Add the rest of the warm water, honey, salt, butter and flour to the yeast mixture. Use a large spatula to incorporate all of the flour and mix well.

Knead the dough until the dough comes together and is soft, but not sticky. (Add a few more tablespoons of flour if necessary.)

Continue to knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is able to be formed into a soft, smooth ball.

Place dough into a lightly greased bowl. Make sure dough is completely coated in oil.

Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free place. Allow dough to rise for approximately 45 minutes, until doubled in size.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface or parchment paper.

Divide dough into equal halves and set one half aside.

Divide dough into sections equal to the number of colors you are making.

Add gel food coloring to each section and knead it in until it is thoroughly incorporated into dough.

Pat each colored dough section down into a rectangle shape.

Use a rolling pin to roll dough into a thin sheet. Repeat for each color.

Stack each colored dough sheet on top of each other and roll out again to approximately 8×12 inches.

Starting at the short end, roll dough into a tight tube shape.

Make an egg wash and brush along end of dough. Press it down against roll.

Tuck sides of roll slightly under the roll to create some surface tension. Brush with egg wash to hold in place.

Repeat process with second half of dough. If you don’t want to color the second loaf, simply roll dough out and prepare as described above.

Place dough seam side down in a greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise for approximately 45 minutes in a warm, draft free place, until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 390°.

Bake loaves for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and the loaf reaches an internal temperature of 206-210 degrees.

Turn loaves out onto a cooling rack. Brush the tops and sides with melted butter.

Let cool completely before slicing.

Store in a breadbox, a gallon sized ziplock bag or wrap in foil to prevent it from drying out. You can also slice it and freeze it for later.