Recipe: Swiss Egg Bread

Swiss Egg Bread
Alt.bread.recipes/Janet Bostwick (2001)
Makes 2 loaves

2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
2 cups milk(I used powdered milk and an equal amount of water)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup butter
2 beaten eggs
Egg Glaze(1 beaten egg yolk plus one tablespoon water)
6 1/2 to 7 1/2 cups flour (I used Gold Medal All Purpose Unbleached. I stirred the flour first and then lightly scooped and leveled the cup with a spatula. I have always done this recipe this way and have just never gotten around to converting to weight.)

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Pour scalded milk(or hot water) over the butter, salt and sugar; stir until the butter melts. Cool until lukewarm. Add dissolved yeast and beaten eggs and beat in the first few cups of flour(mixed with the powdered milk). Knead in almost all of the rest of the flour(save some for the board). Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead until satiny smooth and you can see small blisters under the surface of the dough. (This is not a stiff dough nor a soft dough, but nicely pliable.)

Let rise in lightly greased bowl until doubled. (Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.) For this dough, doubled means that when you push your finger about 1/2 inch into the dough, the dough is slow to fill the indentation that you made.

Punch dough down when doubled. This recipe makes two loaves. If I'm not lazy, I cut the dough into twelve equal parts, 6 parts for each loaf. Form into 6 equal ropes and braid 3 ropes and place on a baking sheet, then braid the other 3 ropes and place on top of the first three you have braided. Proceed the same for the second loaf. If I am lazy I make either 2 or three ropes for each loaf and either make a short fat braid that I place into a greased 9x5x3 loaf pan or I twist 2 ropes together into a short fat loaf and place in the same size loaf pan. Brush with the egg glaze and if you wish sprinkle with poppy seeds or sesame seeds. Let rise again until doubled. (Use the same finger test.)

Bake in a pre-heated 400 F. oven for 40 minutes.

NOTE: Forming ropes of dough can be frustrating unless you allow the dough to rest(covered) for about 10 minutes after you cut it into pieces. It may even resist you as you form one rope, just get as far as you can then cover the rope and allow it to rest while you work on another rope. Be sure to pinch the ends of the braids together so they don't come apart during the final rise. I find it easier to do this work without the addition of flour and use the friction of the countertop to help me.