Ingredients
- 6 cups all purpose flour (or 3 cups bread flour and 3 cups all purpose flour)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 8 TBS or 1 stick (120g) butter
- 2.5 cups (600ml) whole milk
- 2 packages (16g) active dry yeast
- 2 tsp sugar
- To brush over dough: 1 egg yolk + 1 TBS of whole milk
Instructions
- In a big bowl, mix flour and salt. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Once melted, add milk until lukewarm. Gently stir to mix.
- In separate container, place mixture of dry yeast and sugar. Add milk & butter mixture and let sit and bubble for 5-10 minutes.
- Pour wet ingredients into big bowl of dry ingredients. Mix with wooden spoon. (Add spoonfuls of flour to the mixture, if too wet.) When dough has pulled together, knead in bowl or on a flat lightly floured surface for 5-10 minutes.
- Place back into large bowl and cover with warm damp cloth. Allow to rise at room temperature for about 1.5 hours.
- Cut dough in four equal pieces and roll into four long strings/snakes. Two strings/snakes will make one loaf of bread. Overlap two strings to create a plus (+) sign. Braid by alternating between overlapping top and bottom stings, with overlapping left to right strings.
- Place braided dough on parchment paper on two baking sheets and lightly brush with the egg and milk mixture. Let rise 30 minutes.
- Brush another coat of egg and milk mixture and place baking sheet in a preheated oven (395F of 200C) on the middle shelf for 35 minutes.
- After baking, let cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing the bread.
Instructions with photos
Step 1. In a big bowl, mix flour and salt. Set aside.
Step 2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Once melted, add milk until lukewarm. Gently stir to mix.
Step 3. In separate container, place mixture of dry yeast and sugar. Add milk & butter mixture and let sit and bubble for 5-10 minutes.
Step 4. Pour wet ingredients into big bowl of dry ingredients. Mix with wooden spoon. (Add spoonfuls of flour to the mixture, if too wet.) When dough has pulled together, knead in bowl or on a flat lightly floured surface for 5-10 minutes.
Step 5. Place back into large bowl and cover with warm damp cloth. Allow to rise at room temperature for about 1.5 hours.
Step 6. Cut dough in four equal pieces and roll into four long strings/snakes. Two strings/snakes will make one loaf of bread. Overlap two strings to create a plus (+) sign. Braid by alternating between overlapping top and bottom stings, with overlapping left to right strings.
Step 7. Place braided dough on parchment paper on two baking sheets and lightly brush with the egg and milk mixture. Let rise 30 minutes.
Step 8. Brush another coat of egg and milk mixture and place baking sheet in a preheated oven (396F of 200C) on the middle shelf for 35 minutes.
Step 9. After baking, let cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing the bread.
