A delicious enriched bread that is fit for any festive table. It takes a little longer than a standard recipe to make - but definitely worth the extra time a nd effort
Course Bread
Cuisine European
Keyword Enriched yeast bread
Prep Time 30 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Rising Time 3 hourshours20 minutesminutes
Author Syama
Ingredients
4CBread Flour + 2 Tbsp ( 500g)
1CMilk (240g)
2Eggs - Large
4 TbspButter (60g)
2TbspSugar (25g)
1 1/2TspSalt (9g)
1 1/4tspActive Dry Yeast (4g)
Instructions
Warm 1/4 C milk (60g) to 110°F or just warm to touch. Mix in 1 tsp sugar and sprinkle the active dry yeast on top. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes for the yeast to activate and froth up.
Take the flour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and make a well in the center. Add the yeast solution followed by one egg and an egg yolk. Reserve the white. Start kneading by slowly incorporating the flour mix into the wet mix, adding more milk as necessary. When all the flour has been incorporated into the dough add the butter and knead for 10 minutes. The dough should be soft. Form into a ball. Place in an oiled bowl cover and set aside in a warm place for about 2 hours or till the dough has doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and shape into loaves of desired shape. Here I have made these into 2 Winston knots, but you could leave them as 2 rounds shape into balls and arrange on a baking tray. Cover and let rise till almost doubled (30 to 45 minutes).
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Make an eggwash by beating the reserved eggwhite with 1 teaspoon of water. When ready to bake brush the tops of the loaves with the eggwash and place in the oven.
If making braided loaves, remove from teh oven at 20 minutes and brush again with the remaining egg wash.
Reduce the temperature to 350°F(175°C) and bake for a further 15 minutes or util the internal temperature of the loaves have reached 200°F(93°C). Or you can check by tapping the bottom of the bread. When done it should sound hollow.
Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing.
Notes
You can make this bread with AP flour or a combination of AP and White Whole wheat as well. Increase the amount of milk if using WW flours. For beast results use unbleached bread flour, preferably organic.
If short on time double the yeast but the lower percentage of yeast allows the bread to develop more flavors.