Vienna Bread

Vienna Bread is a type of French-ish bread that is similar to French bread minus the really crust, well, crust. It's awesome for dipping into pretty much anything and I've been making French toast with it. This recipe calls for a sponge rather than a starter. I have grown to love the sponge. Makes bread making so much easier!

Sponge
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tablespoons yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm milk
2 cups unbleached flour (all purpose)

Dough
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 1/2 cups unbleached flour (all purpose)


In a large sized bowl, combing the ingredients for the sponge together. Using an electric mixture (I use a hand mixture), beat on high for about one minute. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for one hour.

Then add the salt and butter to the sponge. Add the flour about a half a cup at a time and knead after each addition. After all the flour is added, knead for an additional few minutes. Grease the bowl lightly. Then place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and allow to rise for about 1 1/2 hour (until doubled in bulk).

Remove the dough and knead for about 2 minutes. Shape dough (I like braids) and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover loosely and allow to rise another hour.

Preheat the oven for 400 degrees. To get that "golden" look, take one egg yolk and combine with a tablespoon of milk. Brush the bread. Bake the bread for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees. Continue to bake for another 25 minutes until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped with a spoon.