Instructions: When white bread went out of fashion I didnt stop eating it, and I certainly didnt stop baking it. Otherwise, my kids would have had nothing to bring for school lunch. Yes, over-processed, air-filled, tasteless white bread is awful, but the homemade kind is still pretty swell.

You can either bake this loaf right in the machine or, if you wish to form it into a braid or free-form loaf, add Lora Brodys Bread Dough Relaxer along with the flour for better behaved dough and a large, softer loaf that stays fresh longer.

1 tablespoon active dry yeast (not rapid rise)

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
3 tablespoons Lora Brodys bread dough relaxer (available at gourmet food stores) for hand-formed, oven-baked dough or 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk 2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 cup warm water (110 to 115 F), or as needed 1 large egg mixed with 3 tablespoons milk

Place all the ingredients in the pan of a bread machine. Program your machine for the Dough setting (or equivalent) and remove the dough after the final cycle is complete. Check the dough after the first few minutes of kneading, adding additional water if necessary to make a smooth, supple, soft ball. At the end of the final cycle, remove the dough and place it on a very lightly floured or lightly oiled work surface.

Spray or grease a heavy-duty baking sheet. Roll the dough into an 18 X 6 inch rectangle. Use a pizza cutter, knife, or bench knife to cut the dough lengthwise into 3 long strips, leaving the pieces connected at one end. Braid the strips without stretching them and secure the end by pinching it and tucking it under the loaf. Place the braid on the prepared pan and brush with the egg glaze.

Allow to rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place until almost doubled in bulk.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 F with the rack in the center position.

Brush again with the egg glaze. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and bake until the top is deep golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center measures 190 F, another 20 minutes.

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