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Categories:Viewed: 39 - Published at: 5 years ago
Ingredients
- 12 cup sugar
- 2 (1/2 ounce) envelopes dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 34 cups warm water
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 12 cup butter or 12 cup margarine, melted and cooled
- 6 -7 cups flour
- 1 egg, beaten with
- 1 tablespoon milk (for glaze)
- 1 -2 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional) or 1 -2 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Method
- Combine sugar, yeast and salt in large bowl.
- Whisk in water, eggs and butter.
- Add 3 cups flour and whisk until smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon, mix in enough remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, to form soft dough.
- Knead on floured surface until dough is satiny, about 10 minutes, kneading more if flour is sticky.
- Grease large bowl.
- Add dough, turning to coat entire surface.
- Cover bowl with towel.
- Let it rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled, about 1 1/4 hours.
- Grease 2 large baking sheets.
- Gently knead dough on lightly floured surface until deflated.
- Cut the dough in half.
- Cover both pieces with a towel and let them rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten.
- Divide each half into 3 pieces.
- Roll each piece into an 8 rope.
- Take 3 ropes and braid together, working from the middle to the ends.
- Pinch the ends together.
- Form 2 braids.
- Transfer to 2 greased pans and let rise in a warm, draft-free area until doubled, about 45 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Brush dough with egg glaze and sprinkle with poppy or sesame seeds.
- Bake until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 30-40 minutes.
- Immediately transfer to rack and cool.
