Egg Bread (A Family Recipe)

This is a family recipe that my dad used to always make it when he was a kid. Now, he makes it every Thanksgiving with our turkey and stuffing. This Thanksgiving, he was swamped with work because his employees took the weekend off so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to learn how to  work with yeast. The bread turned out very well and tasted amazing. It was a little denser than it is when he usually makes it but nobody noticed. Next time I make it, I will kneed it a little less so it is more fluffy. Now that I know how to make it, I will make it more often (not just once a year, on Thanksgiving).


Preparing:
-½ cup warm (not hot) water
-1 pkg (1 tbs) dry yeast
Mix yeast with the water and let sit for 10 minutes.

Other Ingredients:
-½ cup warm (not hot) water
-2 eggs
-1 tsp salt
-½ cup vegetable oil
-¼ cup sugar
-3½-4 cups flour
-1 egg yolk
-1 tsp water




Directions:
Mix first 5 "Other Ingredients" in a bowl and add yeast mixture. Add the flour and knead dough for 5 minutes. Doug should be soft like an earlobe**. Coat with oul and put in metal pot. Wet a dish cloth with boiling water and cover pot**. Leave to rise for 1 hour. Punch and turn over. Leave for another hour. Cut dough into two pieces. Dived each piece into another three even pieces. Work into a braid and leave for another hour. Set oven to 350°F. Grease pan with butter and lightly sprinkle flour over it. Mix egg yolk with water and just before cooking, brush egg mixture over braids. Cook for 30 minutes. Enjoy!

**if sticky, add more flour, ¼ cup at a time
**dish cloth should be rung out before placed on pot