Sweet Whole Grain Challah Bread

This is a pretty bread with a nice flavor! I did cook the bread on parchment. I just took it off for the picture. I made mine in the shape of a horse shoe this time.

You could put jelly beans into the braid after it is cooked too. Here is another braided bread!

Ingredients:

The sponge

2 C warm water

1/2 C honey

2 T yeast

2 C whole grain flour (I used 1 C spelt flour 1/2 C kamut flour 1/4  C brown rice flour and  1/4 C oat flour)

The bread

1/2 C coconut oil or olive oil

4 eggs

3 tsp salt
1/4 C honey

8C whole grain flour

1 egg

1 T water

sesame seeds or poppy seeds, cheese or cinnamon and sugar

Directions:

1. In a bowl, pour in water, honey and yeast. I don't even stir them. Just swish it together, moving around the bowl a little. Then let it stand about 10 min.

2. Then stir in 2 C of flour, and cover with a towel. Let sit for 30 min.

3. Stir in egg, and oil until all mixed.

4. Stir in salt, honey , and the rest of the flour. (You want the dough to be sticky, don't add too much flour)

5. Knead by machine 5-8 min or by hand 10 min. The dough should still be sticky

6. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with a towel. Let rise until doubled. (Or you can let rise overnight in the fridge.)

7. Then divide the dough into 3 equal portions to braid. A scale is helpful to balance it out evenly.

8. Roll each piece into a long rope. Then connect the three pieces at the top and braid the bread.

9. You can make it into a long braid or a circle. Place on parchment paper on cookie sheet.

10. Beat together 1 egg and 1 T water. Brush on 1/2 of the egg mixture, on the top of the bread. Cover with plastic and let rise until double. About an hour to and hour and 1/2. Take off the plastic and brush on the remaining egg.

11. Sprinkle on topping of your choice. I used sesame seeds this time.

12. Preheat oven to 375 . Bake 30 to 40 min you can cover for the last 15 min with foil if it starts getting too brown.

This would be a wonderful bread for Easter!