Instructions

1. In a large bowl mix salt and flour and set aside.
2. Add water to a medium bowl, stir in sugar until dissolved and add yeast, let the mixture sit for 5-7 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
3. Give the yeast mixture a stir and add it to the flour mixture, knead by hand or using a mixer. The dough will be a little sticky, but it should come off the walls of the bowl. If its still very, very sticky add 1/2 cup of flour. Knead until all flour is well combined, about 7-10 minutes. Cover the dough with a dry, clean kitchen towel, put it in a warm place and let it rise for 1-2 hours.
4. To speed this process, I usually turn the oven to 300F and place the bowl on top of the stove or close to the stove, since its warmer.
5. Once the dough tripled in size, divide it in 6 balls. One by one take each dough ball, add it to a medium mixer bowl, add in the food gel color of choice and mix until combined, for 1 minute, using the paddle attachment. Knead by hand to make sure the color gets distributed evenly.
6. My recommendation is to wear latex gloves, so you don't get food coloring on your hands, also, use a lot of gel food color, not just a few drops, I used 1/2 teaspoon for each dough ball, sometimes more. Check the color you get and add more if needed. The color will intensify and distribute better after the second round of rest.
7. Place colored dough ball in a soup bowl on top of the warm stove and cover with a towel.
8. Wash your hands (covered with gloves) and wash the mixer bowl and paddle attachment.
9. Repeat with the remaining dough balls, coloring each in a different color, place each one in a separate soup bowl over the warm stove (warm from the oven) and cover with a dry towel. Let the dough balls rest and rise for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.
10. Spray a loaf pan with baking spray, take each dough ball, press it with your hands and shape it into a rectangular, doesn't have to be perfect. Stack them in the color order that you want, starting with the first rectangular pressed on the loaf pan side, and adding the rest.
11. Place loaf pan on the warm stove and cover with a clean, dry towel, let the dough rest and rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.
12. Increase oven temperature to 350F.
13. Cover the top of the bread with the egg wash, or if you want to keep it vegan, use a little oil, bake for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean.
14. Remove from oven and let it cool in the pan for 30 minutes, before transferring to a wire rack.
15. Once the bread is completely cooled, make the icing by mixing sugar and cream until you achieve a pourable consistency; add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time. Pour over the bread, spread with a spoon and top with sprinkles.
16. Serve!