Egg Bread Braids Recipes

BRAIDED EGG BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a small saucepan, heat water and oil to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients along with eggs. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1-1/2 hours., Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Set a third of the dough aside. Divide remaining dough into 3 pieces. Shape each into a 13-in. rope. Place ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. , Divide reserved dough into 3 equal pieces; shape each into a 14-in. rope. Braid ropes. Center 14-in. braid on top of the shorter braid. Pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. , Preheat oven to 375°. In a small bowl, beat egg and water; brush over dough. Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Cover with foil during the last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

HOMEMADE EGG BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, eggs, butter, sugar, salt and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. , Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. , Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into 6 portions. Roll each portion into a 14-in. rope. For each loaf, braid 3 ropes together on a greased baking sheet; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 50 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°., Beat together egg yolk and water; brush over loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

CHALLAH I (BRAIDED EGG BREAD)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/2 cup water in bowl of mixer. Sprinkle yeast over water and mix,let stand 10 minutes until foamy.
• Add the next 6 ingredients to mixing bowl. Mix with dough hook for 6 minutes. Dough should be a little sticky.
• Place in oiled bowl, cover and let rise in warm place until double in bulk.
• Punch down dough. Let rise again until double in bulk.
• Punch down again. Divide dough into 3 equal parts.
• Roll dough into three long strands. Braid the strands, tucking ends under. Cover with towel and let double in bulk.
• Brush with beaten egg yolk. Sprinkle with seeds. Bake at 400 F for approximately 30 minutes, until golden brown. The challah is done when it sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom.

BRAIDED EASTER EGG BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.
• Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; stirring constantly. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long roll about 36 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the two long pieces of dough, form a loosely braided ring, leaving spaces for the five colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place loaf on a buttered baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with melted butter.
• Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until golden.

GOLDEN EGG LOAVES (OR BRAIDS)

Steps:

• Combine water, honey, and yeast in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Let sit until mixture becomes foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Pour 3 cups flour, olive oil, eggs, wheat gluten, and butter into the yeast mixture; mix on speed 2 (or low speed) in the stand mixer until flour mixture is incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and 3 cups flour and mix on speed 2 until flour is incorporated into the dough. If dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl, continue mixing, 5 to 7 minutes. If dough is still sticky, add 1/4 cup flour at a time and knead for 2 minutes after each addition until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl; mix for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Grease a large bowl.
• Transfer dough to greased bowl and cover with a damp towel. Set aside in a warm area of the kitchen until dough has doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
• Punch down dough and divide into 2 loaves. Place each dough half into a 9x5-inch loaf pan or on a baking sheet. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer registers an internal temperature of 200 degrees F (93 degrees C), 25 to 30 minutes.

BRAIDED EGG BREAD

Steps:

• Combine potatoes and 5 cups water in large pot. Cover and boil until potatoes are very tender, about 40 minutes. Ladle 1 1/4 cups cooking liquid into small bowl and reserve; cool reserved liquid to lukewarm. Drain potatoes. Transfer potatoes to medium bowl and mash potatoes until smooth. Place mashed potatoes in strainer set over large bowl of electric mixer. Using rubber spatula, press mashed potatoes through strainer. Add 3/4 cup sugar, butter, 4 teaspoons salt and 1 1/4 cups reserved cooking liquid to mashed potatoes. Using dough hook, beat until well blended.
• Combine 1/2 cup warm water, yeast and pinch of sugar in small bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add to potato mixture and beat to blend. Beat in 4 eggs. Mix in enough flour, 1 cup at a time, to form soft dough. Turn out dough onto generously floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary to form soft elastic dough, about 10 minutes. Lightly oil large bowl. Add dough, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
• Oil 2 large baking sheets. Sprinkle generously with the cornmeal. Turn out dough onto floured surface. Divide dough in half; knead each piece lightly. If desired, knead raisins into 1 piece of dough. Divide each dough piece into 3 equal portions. Roll out each portion between work surface and palms of hand to 15-inch-long rope. Form into braids, using 3 ropes for each braid. Tuck ends under and pinch ends together. Place 1 loaf on each baking sheet. Cover with towel and let rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush loaves with egg glaze. Sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, about 25 minutes longer. Transfer to racks and cool completely. (Can be made ahead. Wrap tightly in foil and freeze up to 2 weeks.)