Time 60 Minutes
Difficulty Intermediate
Health & Allergies Vegetarian, Dairy-Free
Dough Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp. dry yeast
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 5 cups very warm water, divided
- 5 large eggs
- 1¼ cups honey
- 1 cup oil (canola or light olive oil)
- 2 tbsp. salt
- Approximately 18 cups flour
For the egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
Directions:
- In a very large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in 2 cups warm water and let sit about 15–20 minutes until thick and frothy.
- Add eggs, honey, oil, salt, remaining three cups of water, and half the flour. Mix until a loose batter forms. Add the rest of the flour a couple of cups at a time. You may not need all 18 cups of flour, so go slowly towards the end. Alternatively, you may need slightly more. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Once the dough has enough flour, knead it for a couple of minutes. I do this in the bowl. (You can do this recipe by hand or with a mixer.)
- Cover the dough with a wet towel or plastic wrap and put it in a warm place to rise for about 1½ hours. Dough should double in size.
- Punch the dough down and let it rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 6 equal pieces.
- Braid according to pictures and directions above. Place loaves on lightly greased pans and let rise for another 40 minutes.
- Beat the egg with the honey and vanilla and gently brush over the loaves. Bake at 375° F for approximately 45 minutes. Loaves should be golden on top, and firm on the bottom.
