DOUBLE-BRAID CHALLAH BREAD WITH SESAME SEEDS

Double-Braid Challah Bread With Sesame Seeds image

The first time I baked this bread, the whole loaf disappeared in three hours--and only three people were in the house! It's based off a Betty Crocker recipe, with a few changes; the original recipe called for a lone egg, but I had a bunch of egg yolks after making meringue so I used those instead. You could substitute poppy seeds for the sesame seeds, or eliminate the seeds altogether, but I think they deliver a pleasant crunch.

Provided by Hannah Verrinder

Time 4h55m

Yield 1 loaf

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 cup very warm water (120-130F)
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Steps:

Mix all ingredients except milk and sesame seeds in a large bowl. The dough will be quite sticky at this point.
Turn out onto a liberally floured board and have additional flour close at hand. Knead, adding flour as it is absorbed, until the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, 5-10 minutes.
Oil a large bowl and place dough inside, turning to coat dough on all sides. Allow to rise 1-2 hours, or until at least doubled in size.
Divide dough into three sections. Take a third of each of the original three sections and reserve (there will be two braids; a large one for the bottom, and a smaller one for the top).
Grease a cookie sheet.
Roll and stretch the three larger sections of dough into ropes a little shorter than the sheet. Cross the tops of the ropes over one another and braid. Tuck braid ends under.
Repeat step 6 will smaller dough sections, except braid the ropes on top of the first, larger braid.
Grease double-braid liberally and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise 1-2 hours, or until at least doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a small bowl, combine milk and sesame seeds. Uncover double-braid. Use a pastry brush to brush mixture, or your hands to rub mixture, over double-braid.
Bake bread 20-30 minutes, or until deep golden brown.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 2680.7, Fat 95.8, SaturatedFat 17.9, Cholesterol 766.6, Sodium 3584.1, Carbohydrate 398.2, Fiber 17.1, Sugar 94.2, Protein 62.4