This recipe is adapted from Foodie with Family who adapted her recipe from King Arthur Flour: https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/braided-semolina-bread/
I turned this recipe into a pre-ferment bread using a poolish. You're creating a starter, similar to sourdough in the respect you're allowing yeast, water and flour to ferment for a period of time.
Ingredients
Bread
3 cups Bread flour - 12 3/4 ounce, by weight
2 cups semolina flour 11 1/2 ounces, by weight
1 packet of active dry yeast
3 teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons sugar or non-diastatic malt powder
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cups lukewarm water 16 ounces, by weight or volume
1 beaten egg
Sesame Seeds
Poolish:
1 Cup of Bread Flour - 4 1/4 ounce, by weight
1 Cup of Luke Warm Water
1/4 Tsp of Active Dry Yeast (out from the total packet and save the rest for the remainder of the recipe)
Step 1:
In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the Poolish. This will not have any real form, you just want to make sure everything is combined. It will turn bubbly and more liquid the next day. Cover with a damp towel and place in warm spot over night, about eight to ten hours. If you don't have a proofing box, you can place in an oven with the oven light on. Leave the light on for about twenty minutes then turn light off.
Step 2:
Using a stand mixer: pour the poolish and remaining ingredients in the mixer bowl using the dough hook. Knead at medium low speed until smooth and elastic, approximately ten minutes. Remove from bowl, shape into a ball, return to bowl, cover with a damp towel and store in a warm spot for about two hours or until double in size.
Kneading by hand: combine all ingredients including poolish in a bowl and combine using a dough whisk or wooden spoon, empty onto lightly floured surface and knead until you get a smooth elastic dough. Cover with a damp towel and store in a warm spot for about two hours or until double in size.
Step 3:
Punch air out of dough and empty onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half and then divide each half into three equal pieces. You will use three pieces to braid each loaf. Roll each piece out into an approximately 14 inch rope. Braid into a loaf. I like this very quick video for braiding bread: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB4NWC9SNBY
After braiding place on a sheet lined with parchment paper, cover with a damp towel and store in a warm spot for about an hour or nearly doubled in size. At the same time preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. This gives your oven the right amount of time to heat. Place pizza stone in oven if you own one.
Step 4:
Uncover dough, but do it slowly as some parts may stick slightly. Beat one egg and brush loaves. Sprinkle sesame seeds or whatever topping you'd prefer, but sesame seeds are traditional with this loaf. If you using a pizza stone, place loaves in oven while keeping the parchment paper underneath them. If using a sheet, place sheet in the oven. Bake for 18-26 minutes. You're looking for a golden and deep brown color.
Allow to cool for at least an hour before enjoying.
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