Braided Egg Bread with Poppy Seeds
If you like bread pudding, you’ll think you’re in heaven if you make it with this soft, fragrant bread. It's best to have all the ingredients at room temperature. - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Makes: one loaf
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups bread flour (or all purpose flour)
- 2 teaspoons RapidRise instant yeast (1 packet)
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup milk (I use 1% or 2% low fat milk) warmed to 120°
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 egg + 1 yolk, lightly beaten
- additional 1/2 cup bread flour
- additional egg yolk for egg wash
- 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
Instructions:
- Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
- Add warmed milk, oil, and egg + yolk to the flour mixture.
- Beat on high speed for two minutes.
- On low speed, stir in about 1/2 cup more flour until dough holds together.
- Knead the dough on a floured surface about 100 turns.
- Cover with plastic and let rest 10 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cut the dough into three and roll each piece into a 16-inch long strip. Braid as you would hair, tucking ends under and place on baking sheet. Cover with a towel and rise in a warm spot until double in size – 40 minutes to an hour.
- Meantime, prepare egg wash by combining 1 egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water. Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Brush loaf gently with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. If top starts to brown too much, cover with a foil tent.
Just made your bread (I call it challah). So easy and such nice dough. Would make it again but with water not milk, and would like it sweeter. How much sugar could I add without changing anything that would ruin the dough? Love your recipes. When I need a chocolate fix, there’s nothing like your delicious chocolate cake and frosting!
Take a look at her recipe for Easter bread. I believe that recipe uses more sugar and it might work for you.
If I use a dough hook with my mixer, how long will I knead?
Thanks for all your amazing recipes.
What is Polish name for braided bread with poppyseed on top.
My mother called it something like kukoka. Thanks
Chalka is the Polish name for this breaded bread
Chalka is the Polish name for this breaded bread.
Can I use almond milk in place of regular milk?
When I first found your YouTube recipes, I thought I had seen you before. Yes, I watched your show. Loved it. Now I’m baking more and found your wonderful recipes instructed with fun, happiness and they are easily understood. These recipes make me smile. Your kitchen is gorgeous and I chuckle when you use a new timer. Now I’m on to try those cinnamon rolls. Thank you so much.
Help can’t find yeast anywhere but pizza guy gave me a block of fresh yeast about four or five inches! What are the conversions in teaspoons for your recipes I just don’t get the grams! I have been doubling in few of your breads and they were fine. Help
I just love and adore you Jenny! I have never been a good baker but since I have been following your recipes, I have been successful and I am so excited about it! Thank you so much, for making them so easy to follow and thank you, for being you. Your personality, energy field and love that you put in to your work are amazing and inspiring! Thank you❤
Years ago I used to make time consuming, labor intensive bread. It was excellent bread! But I had t stop as my family was consuming 3 loaves in about a day and a half. Became the proverbial minute on the lips forever on the hips, LOL. That is an exaggeration, but needless to say it was increasing our waist line!! I am a widow now and have also lost my daughter at a much too young age! I have had a bread machine for several years but that bread is not as good as what I made years ago. So I am only cooking for me and I love homemade bread, the yeastier the better I like it, with lots of real butter. Seeing these recipes has awakened my desire to make bread once again! I prefer soft bread without a really crusty exterior. I am seriously thinking of trying some of your recipes. Thank you for sharing them with us!! Keep them coming my friend I am 70 years old now and all the family I really have are 2 adult grandsons, which I will share the bread with the married one, as the younger one which will be 30 in Feb. lives in Wisconsin. Give yourself a hug and pat on the back for awaking an interest in me as I had lost interest due to depression so maybe I will have an interest once again.
Take care and happy cooking ❣??? Have you done soft pretzels? Would like to try them as well with a yeasty recipe!!
Hello Jenny,
Thank you for sharing all these recipes! I’ve started baking bread again. I am a novice. I finally got your no knead to come out exactly right. Have progressed to baking my first egg bread as I write this.
Any thoughts on using an air-bake pan (insulated) to keep the bottom from burning or is it a non issue?
Thanks again!
I miss your youtube videos. Your personality is just as delightful and effervescent as I remember watching your talk show when I was a little boy. Hope you are well, Jenny, and thanks for sharing all these amazing recipes!
Hi there Jenny,
Your are such a delight to watch. The recipes are intuitive and the videos add so much. I am totally into monkey see, monkey do. Once i see you make all these loaves of bread and other things, I get into it even more because of the visual element that stays in my head longer. Your personality is awesome so calm and collected. I am glad I found your website. I am a Greek guy so I also love bread!! καλή όρεξη
This recipe made the childhood deli challah of my dreams. I’ve tried a number of other, much more complicated recipes that weren’t nearly as good. Thank you!
Jenny, this comment is not specific to this recipe, just a general comment. Oh my gosh, I love your personality! You left me gasping for air when you put those fake rotten teeth in…true! Your sense of humor is right up my alley…a good lesson for people who take themselves too seriously = most people. Thanks, you are a breath of fresh air, and a great cook too. Your approach to pork ribs is very different though. Most would preserve moisture by not cutting them up from the start. I see that they were soft, but do they keep their juices when you cut them individually prior to cooking? Love you, Russ
Jenny, can I use active dry for this recipe and just adjust the temp to 110? Usually your recipe says either can be used but since this one specifically says rapid I thought I’d ask! LOVE your recipes! I make your white bread w/egg at least once a week! 🙂
Jenny, I just wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed your healthier bread recipes. I made the cinnamon bread and it was beautiful and tasted wonderful. I admire your loving giving spirit. Sharing your love of healthy and nutritious food is just amazing. I have found a new love of baking and hope to try your other recipes. Donna
All of l your bread recipes are just fabulous.?I don’t use any others and of course, your tips are invaluable
Jenny you are the BEST. Just found your website and I praise the day! Your videos and personality are just great. Thank you for breaking down instructions to make a recipe clearer.
Many, many thanks,
Lynda O’
I’ve been baking for almost 40 years and worked in bakeries through out that time ( as a baker) I’ve never used ” dry yeast” I only use cake yeast. I find it works better and better flavor.. do you have an option on what is better? I’ve made egg breads before but only with cake yeast and has always turned out but wonder what is better as nobody seems to use it and I find it’s a much better product. My grandmother was polish and alot of your recipes are very similar to hers thanks for sharing ?
I was wondering if a dough hook should be used for mixing (Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer) or the paddle attachment? Thank you!
Could you apply the no knead method to this bread? Any issue of leaving raw egg in the dough over night to proof?
I redecently discovered the wonders of sourdough (bread making in general), and found a recipe for Hokkaido Milk Bread using sourdough starter with a long (coldest, because it’s winter) ferment, and there were no problems with the flavor/egg in the dough. Maybe in the summer I may be more careful.
That’s not to say that I think this recipe can be made into a no knead version. I’m not an experienced enough bread baker or a professional cook/baker/pastry chef.
Generally, no knead breads tend to have a longer bulk fermenting period, during which gluten and flavors develop. And because it’s left standing for longer, the yeast is reduced so it doesn’t over ferment the dough. If you were to keep this recipe the same and not knead and not give it the extra time (and hydration), it may not produce the correct texture, especially given that this is an enriched dough and would need more vigorous gluten development (either by kneading, or using hydration and time). Just a thought.
Maybe if you want to convert this to a no knead bread, and it’s colder in your kitchen, you can try making a preferment with a reduced yeast amount and a bit of the flour and water (liquid) in the recipe first. Then once it ferments, mix in the rest of the ingredients and let stand for 3-6 hrs, doing some stretch and folds to help gluten organization. Then shape and bake after a second rise.
No guarantee that it’ll produce good results, but a fun experiment!
I’ve been watching your videos. Would you please look into the eggs that you are using. Your yolk are so yellow. When you use the pasture egg. The yolk is orange. They have no chemicals and adjectives that they feed the chickens. Please read about “pasture” eggs. There about $4.00 more a dozen. But worth it for your health?
I get mine a Ralph’s supermarket.
Do I HAVE to use bread flour for this Egg Bread, I use all purpose for all my other breads?
I prefer bread flour but of course, all purpose is fine too. I will adjust the recipe so thanks for asking.
Will the bread works without eggs?
This recipe is based on the eggs so it’s best to look for a different recipe.
Hi Jenny. Can you please tell me how hot the milk should be.
I don’t have a thermometer – so should it be scalding milk?
Thanks very much.
It should feel like hot tap water (not scalding).
Thanks Jenny. I hope it works – it’s rising as I type! I added raisins to it.
My mother used to call her Polish bread Babka, but really her bread was more like this egg bread of yours. Babka is a sweeter dessert bread I discovered when looking for recipes! Love it when mothers don’t pass these tips before they depart this world!
Anyway, I’ll report back when it’s risen, then baked – I’m excited.
Thanks so much for all your help. You’re a genius to let us mere mortals know how many times to knead something, such as this recipe – and also created the best perogy dough for me in the past 2 years since I found your videos. That was a life saver, as I had no idea how long to knead the dough for. I thought I was supposed to knead it for a long time, and I ended up throwing it across the room in past years, gave up, and bought them instead.
Then I found your perogy dough recipe – voila – magic! So thanks again!
Reporting back that the recipe worked great and the bread was a hit with the family (am making another one right now!)
After many try’s at yeast baking I gave up! Mind you I had enough bricks to build a house. Since I found your website – which is very recent – I have made crusty bread, whole wheat, tunnels of cinnamon and I’m just proofing the egg bread. Thank you for restoring my love of baking!
I have experienced the same thing. It has opened up a whole new world for me and my family. These home made breads taste so good and I never thought I could make them either. Thank you Jenny for teaching me too!!!
I bake this bread every weekend and by Monday it’s gone. My husband loves it with butter plum jam which compliments the poppy seeds with breakfast in the morning. Everyone wants me to bake them a loaf so 35 working days left and I will have time to bake everyday. Jenny I love all your recipes and tell all friends how great and easy they are to prepare. Of course after I watch your videos (: Glad I found you!
I made your egg bread and turn it really good, that is the bread I’ll make many times. And you cinnamon rolls are the best I ever made they are great. I’m 85 and love to bake.
85 and baking – it’s the best hobby there is!
Made it today for the first time,along with meatloaf,they were excellent.i cook jenny jones everyday,big fan…Thanks Jenny
I ran out of parchment paper so can I just grease my pan instead? If so what kind of oil should I use?
I find that butter is best for greasing so I use either butter or my mixture of butter and oil.
I would love to get your butter and oil mixture recipe. Is it on your website or any chance you could share here?
See my video called “Healthier Butter.”
could regular yeast be used to make this instead of rapid rise?
You can use regular yeast but it may take longer to rise.
I made it today. It turned out fantastic. It looks great and is delicious.
Hey Jenny,
I really would like to make this. Would you mind making a video for this recipe? Thanks
Except for the “tunnels of cinnamon” the technique for my egg bread is very much like the cinnamon-raisin bread video so please see if that helps.