braided white bread
You can rip off the braided pieces to serve as rolls, or slice it like regular bread. It tastes fine as is, crusty white bread, or you can add seasonings like sage or garlic to the wet dough if you want to make a seasoned loaf.
6 C flour
2 tsp salt
package yeast
2 C tepid water
2 egg yolks
garlic powder (optional)
powdered sage (optional)
1. Mix the yeast in the tepid water and leave it to proof for 10 minutes.
2. Combine all the ingredients (not including egg yolks) and knead to smooth elastic texture. If desired you can add garlic powder and sage to wet dough to get an evenly flavored loaf. Cover the dough and leave it to rise for an hour and a half.
3. Punch the dough down. On a lightly floured surface divide the dough into 6 pieces.
4. Roll the pieces out and braid them. Pinch the ends of the loaf together and/or tuck them under. Cover the loaves and leave them to rise a half hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 450. To humidify the oven put a glass casserole dish half full of water in the oven during preheat. Immediately before placing the loaves in to cook remove the dish and splash a small amount of water in the oven.
6. To glaze the bread mix 2 egg yolks with a splash of water and spices if desired. Brush the egg yolk mixture over the loaves. Don't pour any extra egg mix onto the pan though, it will just scorch.
7. Bake the bread for 30 minutes. During the last 10 minutes loosely place aluminum foil over the loaves to prevent excessive browning.
I made this dish for a recent work potluck, it was sliced up like regular bread and went over well, with soft butter available. It's in this image behind the fruit salad.
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