Egg bread is made from a dough containing flour, a leavening agent, and of course eggs, which give it a moist, elastic structure and allow it to rise high without drying out. Egg bread can be found in a wide variety of cuisines including the Greek tsoureki, Russian kulich, Portuguese massa sovada, Eastern European babka, Jewish challah, Italian colomba pasquale, and English hot cross buns. Some variations get especially creative. For example, Eastern Orthodox Christians make a version for Easter in which they bury hardboiled colored eggs inside egg bread, and Germans and Austrians make an egg bread in the shape of animals with an egg for the head.
Recipe Servings: 15
Ingredients
Directions
- Mix together 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.
- Combine the water, milk, and butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Warm the mixture to 120–130°F.
- Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture, and then slowly add the eggs.
- Blend the mixture until moistened using an electric mixer on low speed. Then increase the speed to medium and continue to beat for about 3 minutes. Gradually stir in enough flour to make a firm dough.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5–8 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it over to grease the top. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for about 60 minutes or until it doubles in size.
- Punch down the dough and divide it into three equal parts.
- Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll each piece into a 15-inch long rope.
- Lay the three ropes of dough out onto a greased baking sheet and loosely braid it from the center to the ends. Pinch the ends and tuck them under to seal the dough.
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for about 30–45 minutes or until an indentation remains after poking it.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Brush the dough with the egg wash.
- Bake the dough for 25–30 minutes or until golden-brown.
- Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
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