Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- Dough:
- 1/2 cup warm water (100°–110°F)
- 6 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast (about one packet)
- 3/4 tsp ground cardamom
- Zest from one orange
- 1/4 tsp vanilla
- 4 cups flour
- Glaze:
- 1 egg, beaten with 1 Tbsp cold water
Preparation
Step 1
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Combine the water, oil, honey, eggs, salt, yeast, cardamom, orange zest, and vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add about half the flour and begin mixing. Add the remainder of the flour slowly as the dough is coming together. Continue until the dough has formed into a ball and is pulling away from the sides of the bowl, then continue to mix/knead for another 5 minutes.
Turn the dough out into a lightly greased mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm place for 2 hours to allow the dough to rise. It may not quite double in size, but it should be close.
Once the dough has risen, cut it into three equal pieces. Using your hands, roll one of the pieces out on the counter into a 16"–18" rope. Repeat with the other two pieces.
To braid the dough, line up the three ropes of dough with the ends facing you. Gently pinch the ends furthest away from you together; this is where you'll start the braid. Starting with the piece on the left, lift it over the middle piece and pull the middle piece to the left. Next, pull the piece on the right over the piece in the middle, continuing with the over/under braiding technique. Repeat this until the entire loaf is braided. Then, gently pinch the ends closest to you together and tuck underneath slightly to hold in place. Be gentle; you don't need to stretch the dough or pull the braid tight, as it will fill in during the second rise. Transfer the braided loaf to a sheet pan lined with a piece of greased parchment paper. Cover and allow to rise for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
Once the loaf has risen, brush it with the egg and water glaze and bake for 20–30 minutes. Check the color: if it's very golden brown, tent it with foil before continuing to bake for the final 10–15 minutes.