500 g all purpose flour
270 g milk
80 g butter (soft)
10 g salt
12 g sugar (50/50 mix of white and brown)
25 g fresh yeast (or 8,5 g dry yeast)
25 g egg (keep the rest for stroke)
Recipe in cups: (not tested as I use the upper method!)
4 cups all purpose flour
9 oz milk
1/3 cup butter (soft)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar (50/50 mix of white and brown)
0,8 oz fresh yeast (or 2,2 tsp dry yeast)
1,7 tsb egg (keep the rest for stroke)
I recommend you to have all the ingredients ready, it makes your live easier ;-)
Let's start:
Put the flour, salt and sugar (and if the dry yeast is used) together in a mid-size bowl and mix it a little bit. Now take the fresh yeast and break it in small pieces to add it to the mixture.
Take a glass and mix the milk and the egg in it.
In case you are using a kitchen machine, just pour the liquid into the bowl and let the machine run for around 5 minutes.
If you are doing it by hand, form a hollow and pour the liquid in it. Now start to knead everything from the middle until the dough has a smooth surface.
Now add the butter preferably also in smaller pieces. Use the kitchen machine for another 5 minutes or by hand knead as long until the dough is smooth again.
Choose a floured surface and cover the dough with a cutted plactic bag or a kitchen towel. The dough has to rest now for around 45 minutes.
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Me personally, I use this recipe to prepare 2 smaller breads, one usually to consume immediately, the other one for the freezer to have another fresh bread in a few days. If you want one bigger sized bread, just skip the first cut.
Cut the dough into two equal parts. Take one of them and put the other one back under the plastic bag.
Cut the dough again into two equal parts and roll them out into two equal strangs about foot lenght (40-45 cm). If you do one bread, they have to be longer of course, around 90 cm.
Now take the 2 strangs and cross them (one horizontal and one vertical). Grab the ends of the lower one and cross them above the second strang. Then take the other one and continue. At one point you can't go higher up, just lay the braid down and continue until finished:
Hide the ends under the braid and put it on a baking paper and cover it / them again for around 10 minutes. Uncover the bread and mix 2-3 tbs milk to the remaining egg you have aside. Stroke the bread softly with the mix, either with a pastry brush or with two fingers.
In between we can start to heat the oven. If you have an electric oven use 220° with top and bottom heat. If you use gas with top and bottom heat, use level 5 (220°) or when you have a thermostat use the same temperature like for the electric one. If you use gas and you have only bottom heat, use 220°. If you would like to use the circulating air function you can just take off 20° from any baking instructions and you should get the same results.
Leave the baking try inside to pre-heat the oven, it will give it the nice bottom.
Now stroke the bread again with the egg-milk mix and take the hot tray out of the oven. Turn it upside down and place the bread with the baking paper on it and put it on the second level from below.
Bake the bread for a total of 30 minutes.
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Hints:
Using gas with bottom heat only: after 30 minutes switch to top heat (grill) and leave it a few minutes until it turns golden brown. Be careful as it will burn easily!
If you don't want to beautify your bread, no need to change to top heat just leave it 5 minutes longer with bottom heat. It is not necessary, the bread will just remain a bit pale on top.
Giving the bread some shine: after the first 5 minutes use a spray bottle and moisten the inside of you oven with water. Spray the water on the side walls, it will create steam. Close the oven again and leave it for 10 minutes. Then open the door shortly to let the steam escape, close again and let it finish.
Please consider that different temperatures, humidity, ingredients, model of the oven and other factors can lead you to adjust the baking time. The bread is ready when it makes a hollow sound when you knock on the bottom :-)
I store it usually in a plastic bag as this kind of bread should stay soft. If you leave it open, it will dry out fast.
Have fun!!
