Herbed Braided Bread

Delicious braided bread with herbs. Perfect by itself or with butter, real olive oil, and many dishes.

Ingredients:

  • 4 ½ cups flour
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons yeast
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary ( 2 teaspoons chopped fresh)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (2 teaspoons chopped fresh)
  • 2 teaspoons dried basil (2 teaspoons chopped fresh)
  • 1 Head of Garlic
  • ¾ cup milk
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons butter (melted and cooled)

Instructions:

  1. Roasted Garlic
    • Preheat oven to 400ºF
    • Cut the top ¼ inch off the Garlic
    • Place on Aluminum foil
    • Drizzle with Olive Oil
    • Sprinkle with Salt
    • Wrap the foil around the head
    • Bake for 30min
    • Remove and let cool
  2. Bread Preparation
    • Mix the Yeast with ½ cup warm water (105ºF - 115ºF) and let sit 15 min
    • Mix the rest of the dry/fresh ingredients in a large bowl
    • Whisk the egg, milk, and oil in a separate dish
    • Pour into dry mix and start to combine
    • While the dry ingredients and milk mixture combine, slowly pour in the water
    • The dough should be slightly tacky. It will clean the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. Add more flour, if needed
    • Once dough is the correct consistency, knead for about 5 minutes until the texture is smooth and elastic. You should be able to stretch the dough a bit without it breaking
    • Cover the dough and let rest in the mixing bowl or on the counter for 15 minutes
    • Preheat oven to 375ºF
    • Separate the dough into 3 pieces and lay them flat on a lined or greased cookie sheet
      • Starting at the top, bring the outside strand over the middle strand, so it becomes the new middle strand
      • Repeat with the opposite side
      • Repeat this pattern until the whole loaf is braided
      • Pinch and tuck under both of the ends
    • Cover and let rest 15 more minutes
    • Bake on a lined or greased cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes, until the top is golden brown
    • Remove from oven and brush top of baked bread with melted butter and let cool

Original Recipe

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