County Fair Bread
Recipe By: Beard On Bread
Ingredients:
5 cups all-purpose flour, or unbleached hard-wheat
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 stick butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 eggs
1 egg white, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
sesame seeds
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine 1 Cup of the flour, the sugar, salt, and dry yeast.
Heat the milk and the butter in a saucepan, just until the milk is warm; the butter does not need to melt.
Add the eggs and the warm milk mixture to the flour mixture. (This, as you will notice, is one of those newish dry-mix processes where you do not proof the yeast first-and it works.)
Mix very well until thoroughly moistened, and beat with a wooden spoon for about 5 min. Then stir in the remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
Turn out on a floured board, and knead the dough until it is quite smooth and elastic, about 5 min. Work into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat with butter on all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until light and doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hrs.
Punch the dough down and divide into six equal portions. Roll each of these portions into a thin cylinder about 8 to 10 in. long. Take three strips and braid them together. Place the braid on a baking sheet buttered or sprinkled with cornmeal. Braid the remaining three strips and place about 6 in. away from the other loaf. (For a more spectacular loaf, make a braid of three large strips and then a braid of three smaller strips, and put one on top of the other. This takes a good hr. to bake and a slight amount of dexterity to shape.)
Cover the loaves and let rise in a warm, draft-free space until doubled in bulk, which will take another 1 1/2 hrs.
Brush with the egg white and water, sprinkle lavishly with sesame seeds, and bake in a preheated 375 deg. oven for 35 to 40 min. or till golden brown.
Recipe By: Beard On Bread
Ingredients:
5 cups all-purpose flour, or unbleached hard-wheat
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 stick butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 eggs
1 egg white, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
sesame seeds
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl combine 1 Cup of the flour, the sugar, salt, and dry yeast.
Heat the milk and the butter in a saucepan, just until the milk is warm; the butter does not need to melt.
Add the eggs and the warm milk mixture to the flour mixture. (This, as you will notice, is one of those newish dry-mix processes where you do not proof the yeast first-and it works.)
Mix very well until thoroughly moistened, and beat with a wooden spoon for about 5 min. Then stir in the remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
Turn out on a floured board, and knead the dough until it is quite smooth and elastic, about 5 min. Work into a ball, place in a buttered bowl, and turn to coat with butter on all sides. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until light and doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hrs.
Punch the dough down and divide into six equal portions. Roll each of these portions into a thin cylinder about 8 to 10 in. long. Take three strips and braid them together. Place the braid on a baking sheet buttered or sprinkled with cornmeal. Braid the remaining three strips and place about 6 in. away from the other loaf. (For a more spectacular loaf, make a braid of three large strips and then a braid of three smaller strips, and put one on top of the other. This takes a good hr. to bake and a slight amount of dexterity to shape.)
Cover the loaves and let rise in a warm, draft-free space until doubled in bulk, which will take another 1 1/2 hrs.
Brush with the egg white and water, sprinkle lavishly with sesame seeds, and bake in a preheated 375 deg. oven for 35 to 40 min. or till golden brown.