Country Braided Bread Recipes

COUNTRY BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, salt, ginger, eggs and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. , Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into six pieces. Shape each into a 12-in. rope. Braid three ropes; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Repeat with remaining dough. , Place in two greased 8x4-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Beat remaining egg; brush over dough. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

COUNTRY BREAD

Steps:

• The day before making the bread or early in the day, make the poolish (or biga) by placing 8 ounces of the flour, 7 ounces of room temperature water and the yeast in a large bowl and mixing it well with a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it stand for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight. The poolish should double in volume.
• Add 1 pound of the flour and 12 ounces of room temperature water to the poolish and mix together well with your hands. It will be very sticky. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Sprinkle the salt over the surface of the dough and then fold the dough onto itself several times until the salt is incorporated. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
• Cover your hands with flour and sprinkle flour around the outside edge of the dough. Fold the dough onto itself 6 to 8 times. Cover the bowl with the kitchen towel and let rest for 1 hour.
• Fold the dough onto itself 6 to 8 times, dust a board generously with flour and pour the dough out onto the board.
• Divide the dough into two equal parts and turn and form each part into a ball, stretching the dough to form a smooth top. Sprinkle flour heavily in 2 separate bowls (there should be enough flour to keep the dough from sticking) and turn each ball of dough upside down into a bowl. Sprinkle the top of each ball with flour, cover each bowl with a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 500 degrees F and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Turn each ball of dough bottom-side up onto its own sheet pan and use a knife or razor blade to score a tic-tac-toe design on the top of each loaf.
• Place the loaves in the oven, immediately lower the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake for 30 minutes. (Do not open the oven door!) The loaves are done when they are golden brown and make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom. Cool the loaves on a baking rack.

BRAIDED ITALIAN HERB BREAD

Steps:

• Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast, basil, salt, oregano, garlic powder, and rosemary in a large bowl.
• Combine milk, water, and butter in a small microwave-safe bowl. Heat in a microwave until butter melts, about 30 seconds. Pour over the flour mixture; beat until dough is just moistened. Add egg; beat until smooth. Stir in remaining 3 cups flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn dough onto a floured surface such as a large cutting board or countertop. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Divide dough into thirds. Shape each piece into a 15-inch rope. Transfer ropes to a greased baking sheet. Braid together. Pinch ends to seal; tuck under the braid. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Brush top of the braid with olive oil and sprinkle with basil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet, or remove to a wire rack.

COUNTY FAIR BREAD

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the flour, sugar, salt, and dry yeast.
• Heat the milk and butter in a pan just until the milk is warm.
• The butter does not need to melt.
• Add the eggs and the warm milk mixture to the flour mixture.
• Mix very well until thoroughly moistened, and beat with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes.
• Stir in the remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
• Turn out on a floured board, and knead the dough until it is quite smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
• Work into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat with butter on all sides.
• Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until light and doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hrs.
• Punch the dough down and divide into six equal portions.
• Roll each of these portions into a thin cylinder about 8 to 10 inches long.
• Take three strips and braid them together.
• Place the braid on a baking sheet, which should be buttered or sprinkled with cornmeal.
• Braid the remaining three strips and place about six inches away from the other loaf.
• For a more spectacular loaf, make a braid of three large strips and then a braid of three smaller strips, and put one on top of the other.
• Cover the loaves and let rise in a warm, draft-free space until doubled in bulk, which will take another 1 1/2 hrs.
• Brush with the egg white and water, sprinkle lavishly with sesame seeds.
• If you've made two smaller loaves, bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
• The single, larger loaf will need a good hour in the oven.

COUNTRY BREAD

Steps:

• Sponge: Put the water into a large bowl and sprinkle over the yeast. Allow the yeast to rest for about 10 minutes. Stir the three flours together and add them to the yeast mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon.
• Cover the bowl and let the sponge rest at room temperature for 6 to 8 hours, or put it in the refrigerator overnight.
• Dough: If you've chilled the sponge, pull it out of the refrigerator about one hour before you're ready to continue with the recipe.
• Dissolve the yeast in the water and pour it into the bowl with the sponge.
• Combine the flours. Gradually add 2 cups of the flour to the sponge, mix well. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and mix in it.
• Work in the remaining flour mixture and enough additional white flour to produce a dough that starts to clean the sides of the bowl. Knead for about 10 min (you can use the bread machine or mixer). The dough should be moist, satiny, even a bit sticky.
• In a bowl, cover the dough with plastic wrap. Allow to rest at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Turn the dough out to a floured surface. Pat it onto a flat round, fold the edges, press it down and turn the dough over. Repeat the process of folding four more times. Turn the loaf over and lay it smooth side up in a baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Slash the loaf in a pattern that appeals to you. Cover the dough and let it rest for 1 to 1/2 hours.
• Oven: 400ºF. Pour some water into a spray bottle and set aside.
• Bake the bread for 60 to 70 min (or until the crust is deeply brown), spraying the oven with water every 15 minutes.
• Remove the loaf to a rack and allow it to cool before cutting. Store it cup side down on your counter (it's thick crust will be fine exposed to the air .