Sesame Twist Bread

Use a Bosch bread mixer or a heavy duty Kitchen Aid

Place the following ingredients in mixer with dough hook:

3 cups very warm water

2 TBS dry yeast

4 TBS sugar

Wait 3-4 minutes, then add:

2 eggs

6 cups bread flour

1 TB dough enhancer

1 TB salt

Place splatter ring on bowl; quick stir to mix everything together; then turn mixer on #1 (slow speed) then add:

2 1/2 - 2 3/4 cups of flour, a little at a time. If dough remains too sticky, add a tiny bit more flour. Stop when you can see the dough coming away clean from the sides of the bowl. It's better if the dough is a tiny bit on the sticky side rather than dry. Test by stopping your mixer and touching the bread dough.

Then turn mixer on #2 speed and run for 10 minutes.

On lightly floured board divide dough into 4 parts. With a rolling pin, roll each part into about a 4 x 12 rectangle, cut each loaf into 3 strips, then braid the strips, tucking ends under the loaf.

Spray bread pans with Pam and place loaves in pans. Cover with a damp thin cloth and let rise 35-40 minutes. Before baking brush tops gently with 1 egg yolk diluted with 1 TB water. Then sprinkle tops with sesame seeds.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes or until golden.

Remove bread from pans immediately and place on a wire rack to cool.

Tips: When adding the salt always put it on top of the flour then mix it in. Salt added to yeast can kill the yeast and dough won't rise well. To check doneness, use two oven mitts and tilt the bread out of the pan to see if the bottom of the loaf is light brown. If it isn't return to oven and bake another 2-3 minutes.

I got this recipe from Donna Corrigan. She made several loaves for the Acradia Stake Women's conference last month. It was so delicious I asked Donna for the recipe. She said Carol Moore gave her the recipe 30 years ago to use with her Bosch bread machine.

I've never used dough enhancer. If I can't find any in our local stores, I saw that you can buy it online... just google dough enhancer.

I don't have a Bosch machine, so I'm going to knead the bread myself. I also haven't ever braided bread before and look forward to trying that. After I make a loaf, I'll post a picture. It was a beautiful looking and great tasting loaf of bread.