Egg Bread
TIME: 20 minutes baking, 25 minutes prep, plus 2 ¼ hours rising
Yield: 2 LOAVES OR 1 Loaf and 12 dinner knots.
INGREDIENTS:
2 ¼ oz pkgs active dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water ( 100 110 degrees )
6 egg yolks
3 eggs at ROOM TEMPERATURE
½ cup veg oil
½ cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
4 ½ cups all purpose flour
Egg wash:
1 egg
1 pinch salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Proof it, by allowing it to sit for 5 minutes.
IF using a bread machine
. In the bread machine bucket, add
Oil, sugar, salt, 6 egg YOLKS, 3 room temp whole eggs, flour ( all of it 4 ½ cups), and proofed yeast water.
Set machine on dough setting. CHECK MACHINE as it is mixing. You may have to use a rubber spatula to help the machine get all the flour mixed into the dough. Slide the spatula down the corners of the bucket and lift as the machine is mixing. If you see flour hiding out in the corners, help it get mixed into the dough.
When dough and rise cycle ends, the dough should of doubled in size. It tends to push the lid off the machine if you dont remove it from the machine promptly at the end of the rise cycle ( about 90 minutes).
SKIP down to step # 6
Steps 2 5 are for mixing dough by hand
..
2. Add oil, sugar, salt. Stir. Add yolks and 3 room temperature eggs. Stir.
3. Add about 3 ½ cups of flour to make a sticky dough
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Kneed with the remaining flour until smooth and elastic - - about 7 minutes.
5. Place in a well oiled bowl and turn to oil entire surface of dough. Cover with a warm damp cloth. Place in a warm place ( 80 to 100 degrees) until double in size - - - about 1 ½ hours.
6. Punch down the dough. Divide the dough into halves. This recipe will make TWO loaves of bread. Now make loaves and /or knots. You may need to lightly flour a surface for rolling out the dough.
Choose a method and get busy
. I tend to use the 3 braid method. I do the 6 braid whenever I want to impress folks
but normally I just do a quick three braid method.
a. Six braid method.
Divide one of the ½ dough partitions into 6 pieces. Roll each piece out into a strand about 12 inches long. Place in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move the second strand form the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand. Continue this until all the strands are braided. Tuck the ends underneath.
b. Three braid method
Divide one of the ½ dough partitions into 3 pieces. Roll each piece out into a strand about 12 inches long. Place in a row, parallel to one another. Pinch the tops of the strands together. Braid normally. Tuck the ends underneath when the strands are fully braided.
c. Knots
Divide one of the ½ dough partitions into 3 pieces. Roll each piece out into a strand about 12 inches long. Use one strands at a time to make about 4 knots. Pinch the end of the dough to the knot so that is stays attached during the next stage of rising.
7. Place bread on greased cookie sheet. Beat remaining egg with a pinch of salt. Brush onto the bread. Let the bread raise till doubled - - about 45 mintues.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush bread with egg wash AGAIN.
9. Bake loaves for 20 25 minutes. Bake knots for 10 minutes. Bake until tops are a rich golden brown.
10. Cool on wire rack.
WONDERFUL!
If you want to make garlic knots
. Use same recipe but cut sugar back to ¼ cup and use garlic powder with the egg wash.
