Soft buttermilk braided bread

I hope everyone had a stuffed Thanksgiving day whether with the turkey or any ethnic dishes that you had prepared for your loved ones. I omitted the turkey this year since not that many of us to devour it, instead I made some Vietnamese shrimp and yam fritters and salted garlic lobsters. Although it was a non-traditional meal, it was definitely very satisfying and scrumptious. 

Before Thanksgiving I left you with a bread roll recipe, after the Turkey day I want to introduce you to yet another awesome bread recipe that can be easily made ahead of time. I love this recipe not only because you can pre-make the dough, but also because the bread itself is so soft, light and fluffy. A little dab of strawberry jam or butter on a warm, fresh slice of bread with a cup of coffee and you are set for breakfast of the day. The dough is very versatile, instead of braiding the bread you can also make them into crescent rolls, hotdog rolls, breadsticks or use it in cinnamon rolls for another irresistible breakfast idea. The best part is that you can keep this dough refrigerated up to 7 days and have fresh, hot, homemade bread ready whenever your craving calls for. Enjoy baking!

 

Recipe adapted from The sisters cafe (Thank you for an amazing bread recipe)

Ingredients:

3 cups Buttermilk (room temperature)
3 cups flour
1 T. yeast dissolved in ¼ cup warm water (first let rise a few minutes)
½ cup sugar (you may add more sugar if you are in favor of sweeter breads or rolls)
3 eggs, beaten with a fork
2 tsp salt
5 cups flour (sometimes you need a cup more–it should not be too sticky, I added about 10 more tbsp)
½ cup oil
1 tsp baking soda

Dissolve yeast in ¼ c. warm water and let proof a few minutes. Mix the buttermilk, 3 cups of flour and yeast together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl. Cover and let this stand at room temperature until double in size, about 2 hours.
Add sugar, eggs, salt, 5 remaining cups of flour, oil, and baking soda. Mix well and knead for 7-10 minutes (you may need to add about a cup more of flour until the dough is not sticking to the side of the mixing bowl). Roll out what you want and place the rest in the refrigerator, lightly covered so air can still circulate (do not cover the dough in an airtight container or the yeasts will go crazy and change your dough into a fermented dough). The next time you want some fresh baked rolls, take from the bowl what you want and again put the rest back in the refrigerator. It will keep for 7 days.

Shape the dough into rolls or braided bread loaf.  Let rolls rise on baking sheets until double in size. Time depends on the room temperature, usually 1½ – 2 hours. Dough from the refrigerator will take longer because the dough is cold. You may brush the bread with some egg-wash for a shinny finish if you like before baking.
Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes for the rolls and about 15-17 minutes for the loaf. Brush with melted butter if you like.