Polish Egg Bread
I received this wonderful Polish Easter bread recipe from a friend, and it truly stands out. Having savored similar bread during my visit to Poland in August, I was delighted to have this recipe in hand. Now, whenever I make it, everyone requests the recipe.
Ingredients
- 5 packages active dry yeast
- 2 cups lukewarm water, divided
- 1-quart whole milk
- 1 cup butter, cut into pieces
- 1 ½ cups superfine sugar
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10 eggs, room temperature
- 5 pounds bread flour
Instructions
- Dissolve yeast in 1 cup lukewarm water in a bowl; set aside.
- Bring milk to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; add remaining 1 cup lukewarm water, butter, and 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon salt; stir until butter melts. Pour in sugar and stir until dissolved.
- When milk mixture has cooled to lukewarm, stir in dissolved yeast.
- Beat eggs in a separate bowl until combined. Whisk milk mixture into eggs. Gradually mix in flour.
- Transfer dough to a floured work surface; use a serrated knife to divide dough in half. Shape each half into a ball and place dough into 2 large, greased bowls. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease 3 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
- Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and divide into 6 equal portions. Shape each portion into balls. (Dough will be very sticky and soft at this point.) Keep covered with greased plastic wrap.
- Working with one portion at a time, divide one dough ball into 3 pieces. Shape each piece into 3 ropes, braid together, and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough balls. You should be able to fit 2 loaves per baking sheet.
- Bake loaves in the preheated oven until hollow sounding when tapped on top, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool before slicing.
Notes
- For a shiny, glossy, deep-brown crust, brush the braided loaves with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water) before baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 413kcalCarbohydrates: 67gProtein: 13gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 651mgPotassium: 170mgFiber: 2gSugar: 12gCalcium: 60mgIron: 4mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!