Braided Egg Bread

Infected with the Easter spirit, I decided this beautiful braided loaf would be the perfect addition to our holiday feast. It is a traditional Jewish egg bread, more commonly known as Challah. Dyed raw eggs are inserted into the dough before baking to add a colorful festive touch (they cook through in the oven and can be eaten afterwards). I strictly followed the original recipe, which could have produced disaster if my mom hadn't been keeping an eye on my bread in the oven. After its second raise I proceeded to bake the bread according to the directions (which suggested a 50 minute baking time). After merely 15 minutes in the oven the bread was already overly browned! My mom alerted me to this fact, and I rushed to the oven, extracting my loaves as quick as possible. Sadly, they had already been in the oven too long, and what should have been a chewy soft braid of bread turned out rather dry. They still looked appealing though, and that flaky, buttery, semi-sweet egg bread flavor was there.

Two lessons I'm learning over and over again: don't trust baking times AND always err of the side of under baking breads/pastries/desserts. Every oven varies in temperature and efficiency, so never leave baked goods unsupervised. I always set my timer for about half the amount of time the recipe calls for and then keep checking on it after that. Problem is, in this case, the recipe was so far off that my 30 minute timer would have turned my bread into a brick.

My other complaint is that the egg dye leaked on to the loaf. I'm not sure how to remedy this one. If anyone has any suggestions on how to prevent the color explosion I'd be grateful. Nevertheless, this is a promising recipe that just might take a little practice to get right.

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter (room temperature works best)
2 eggs
raw whole eggs, dyed if desired
melted butter or egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with 1 Tbsp. water)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt and yeast; stir well. Combine milk and butter in a small saucepan; heat until milk is warm and butter is softened but not melted.

2. Gradually add the milk and butter to the flour mixture; stirring constantly. Add two eggs and 1/2 cup flour; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

3. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into two equal size rounds; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each round into a long roll about 36 inches long and 1 1/2 inches thick. Using the two long pieces of dough, form a loosely braided ring, leaving spaces for the five colored eggs. Seal the ends of the ring together and use your fingers to slide the eggs between the braids of dough.

5. Place loaf on a buttered baking sheet and cover loosely with a damp towel. Place loaf in a warm place and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Brush risen loaf with melted butter or egg wash.

6. Bake in 350 F preheated oven for 12-30 minutes, or until golden.

(Adapted from All Recipes)