Dairy Challah

I have been meaning to make Challah for quite some time...ok...ok..when I said some time, it means a few years :). Like the croissant in the previous posting, I did some research on it, reading from a number of books, multiple websites, youtube-ing etc. So today, I finally baked Challah...a dairy one. Traditionally, the classic Challah is made with water instead of milk and oil instead of butter. For those who loves bread pudding, Challah is great to be used in making it.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk

2 tbsp honey

1 1/8 tsp instant yeast

2 large eggs, at room temperature

3 tbsp butter, softened

2 1/2 bread flour, plus more if needed

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:

1. Place milk, honey, 2 eggs, butter, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set for Dough/Knead and press Start.
2. When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead, add more flour if needed. Divide dough into 3 equal pieces. With flattened hand, roll each piece back and forth, forming a 15 inch rope with tapered ends.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat and lay the 3 ropes on the sheet with the ends facing you. Pinch together the three ends furthest from you and braid the ropes together. Tuck the ends under just slightly.
4. Cover the braid loosely with oiled plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 40-50 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 degrees C a few minutes before baking.
5. Glaze the braid with beaten egg and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until golden.
6. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing it with serrated knife