This Braided White Bread is soft, tender, and so pretty to serve. We love it served warm with butter!
We have been enjoying unseasonably warm weather. It has been heavenly! Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and the winds are blowing in a storm. 🙁 I really do not enjoy cold weather. The only thing I like about it is the baking. We eat a lot of breads during the winter months. I love serving them with soups, so I am always trying new recipes.
This is a basic white bread, just made into braids so it is much prettier. It has lots of eggs in the dough, which makes it a pretty golden color. It is tender and flavorful, and if you have any leftovers, it makes delicious french toast! If your family doesn’t like sesame seeds, you can leave them off.
Braided White Bread
1 Tbsp SAF instant yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/4 cup melted butter or oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp salt
4 eggs
7-8 cups flour
1 Tbsp water or milk
1-2 Tbsp sesame seeds
Mix yeast, water, milk, oil, and sugar and let sit for a few minutes till bubbly. Add the salt, eggs, and enough flour to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. Knead for 6-8 minutes. Let dough rest for about 20 minutes. Dump dough out onto an oiled counter top. Divide in half.
Divide each half into three equal parts. Shape into ropes that are about 16 inches long. Place the ropes on a greased baking sheet and braid them together, tucking the ends under. Repeat with remaining dough. Let raise for about 45 minutes. Brush with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
-Makes 2 braids
Just came out of the oven! Thanks for the recipe. YUM!
I’ve been baking my own bread for about a year now, trying a lot of different recipes to see which ones we like best, white, wheat, peasant, artisan…..but so far my husband doesn’t care for any of them when it comes to just making a quick, ordinary sandwich! Is it even possible to make a homemade loaf similar to store bought?
I had good luck with adding (for 1 loaf of bread): 4 T. cornstarch & 1/2 t. baking soda with my last baking. (3 1/4 C. flour, 1 1/2 C. milk, 1 T. oil, 1/4 t. salt, 2 T. brown sugar & 2 /14 t. yeast) I only make one loaf at a time so that I always have fresh bread. I found the baking soda increased the rise & these new additions have improved the texture of the bread. I am still experimenting since I am trying to keep with a low sodium/low fat diet. This has been the most tasty so far as well. I have also switched to non-fat powdered milk & find it doesn’t comprise taste or texture. It has to be the “dough conditioners” (??) added to store bought bread. And whatever those truly are is beyond me. I do know that home made bread stands up to a sandwich or a hamburger. But then I grew up eating my Momma’s bread & only had store bought at Grandma’s.(I hope this is helpful. Good luck!)