Pure existence: 3 strand Callah bread!

HEAVEN is all I can say this bread is! I saw a picture of it and thought "interesting, I want to make a braid bread" other than that I had no idea what it was. Well I looked into it a little like I do most new recipes I want to make. It is a jewish sweet bread that they eat at special times. It can be plain, have poppy seeds on it, or raisins in it. Well I made a plain one to start, and here is the best recipe I found!

3/4 Cup milk
2 eggs (one additional if you are making a eggwash to brush on bread)
3 tbls margarine or butter
3c bread flour ( you can use all-purpose)
1/4 c white sugar, you can add 1-2 more tablespoons to make it a little sweeter like I do!
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

I again use my bread maker to mix this. I put the ingredients in according to the bread machine directions. My machine allows it to rise 2 times. I take it out and punch it down to get all the air out. Then we cut the dough into 3 equal sections.

With flour on our hands were going to roll the dough sections into logs...now after you get a log, make the very ends more flat and pulled out. You do this by applying pressure only to the ends and push outward a little ONLY ON THE VERY ENDS. This helps to pinch the ends together in the breading phase.

Now were going to braid!!

Pinch the pinched ends tother at one end.

Now were going to bring the outside left over the middle.

(I took a second break to play peek-a-boo with my son who loves to be in the kitchen with me when I bake)

Follwed by the outside right over the middle, and continue that way done to the ends! Which we then pinch those ends together as well! Tuck the pinched ends under the loaf and place on a pan rubbed with butter.