Hungarian Braided White Bread

• servings: 12 servings
• active time: 30 minutes
• total time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1 ¾ cups warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 egg yolk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons salt

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 egg, beaten

Directions

In a small mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Let stand until creamy, about 15 minutes.

Mix the egg, egg yolks, sugar, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the egg, egg yolks, sugar, salt and 3 cups of the flour; stir until well combined. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.

Turn out onto a floured bread board, and cut into 2 equal parts. Form into cylindrical loaves; let rest for 20 minutes. Divide each loaf in half and roll into a long rope for braiding. Fasten the 4 ends together. Braid. End by fastening the ends, and turning each end under the loaf. Place on cookie sheet, and cover with a towel until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

Brush risen loaf with a beaten egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Nutrition

• Calories: 245 kcal
• Total Fat: 3 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 73 mg
• Sodium: 420 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 44 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 9 g