Braided Brioche
By: Anonymous
Published: Saturday, December 12, 2009 - 11:06pm

Ingredients




1 1/2 pounds loaf:
 cup water
2 lrg eggs
2 lrg egg yolks
1/4 pound butter or margarine
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pkt active dry yeast
2 pounds loaf:
 cup water
3 lrg eggs
2 lrg egg yolks
3/8 pound butter or margarine
 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pkt active dry yeast

Preparation

1 1. Add ingredients to bread machine pan according to manufacturer's directions. 2 2. Select sweet or dough cycle. 3 3. At the end of the cycle, scrape the dough onto a board lightly coated with all-purpose flour. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. If making a 1 1/2-pound loaf, roll each piece to form a rope about 12 inches long. For a 2-pound loaf, roll each piece to form a rope about 14 inches long. Lay ropes parallel about 1 inch apart on a buttered 14 x 17 inch baking sheet. Pinch ropes together at one end, braid loosely, then pinch braid end together. 4 4. Cover loaf lightly with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until puffy, about 35 minutes. Remove plastic wrap. 5 5. Beat 1 large egg yolk to blend with 1 tablespoon water. Brush braid with egg mixture. 6 6. Bake braid in a 350 F oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve hot, warm, or cool.