braided egg bread (challah)

How To Make braided egg bread (challah)

• 
  1

  In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, yeast and 1 cup flour.
• 
  2

  In a 1 quart saucepan over low heat, heat milk and butter until milk is warm and butter is melted.
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  3

  If milk is too hot, bring temp down to around 120 degrees.
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  4

  With mixer at low speed, beat milk mixture into dry ingredients, just until blended. Beat at medium speed two minutes more.
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  5

  Reserve 1 egg yolk. Add remaining egg white and 2 eggs, and 3/4 cups flour. Beat 2 minutes. Stir in 1 1/4 cups flour to make a soft dough.
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  6

  Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic about 10 minutes working in more flour while kneading. (Work through the pain!!!)
• 
  7

  Shape dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning dough over to grease top. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. (about an hour)
• 
  8

  Punch down dough, turn onto floured surface. Cover with bowl and let rise 15 minutes. Grease large cookie sheet.
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  9

  Cut 2/3 dough into 3 equal pieces. On floured surface, with wet hands, roll each piece into a 13-inch rope. Place ropes side by side and loosely braid.
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  10

  For top part of loaf, cut remaining piece of dough into 3 equal pieces and roll into a 14 inch long rope. Braid as before, but smaller than the last.
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  11

  Place smaller braid on top of first one, stretching if necessary.
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  12

  Seal ends and place on greased cookie sheet.
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  13

  Cover with damp cloth again and let rise until doubled. (about 45 minutes)
• 
  14

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• 
  15

  in a small bowl, beat egg yolk and 2 Tbsp. water. Brush the loaf with egg yolk and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.
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  16

  Bake 30 minutes or until loaf is golden.
• 
  17

  Cool on wire rack.
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