HONEY AND WALNUT SWEET BREAD

500 grams plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon bread improver
100 grams butter, melted
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 egg yolks
2 teaspoons dried yeast.

honey (top)
crushed walnuts (top)



place all the ingredients except for the topping, into a bowl.

mix till combined.

on a lightly floured board, knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.

place dough into a greased bowl. cover and place into a warm position to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

tip dough onto a floured board, punch down and knead again for a couple of minutes.  divide dough into 3 equal parts.

roll each piece into a sausage shape 14 inches long.

place each sausage onto a baking tray covered with baking paper. pinch one end of the 3 sausages together then plait into a braid. pinch the ends together. cover braid with a teatowel and rise again for 1 hour.

heat oven to 180 c.

drizzle the braid with honey and sprinkle with the walnuts.

cook for approx. 45 minutes or when it sounds hollow when tapped.

ALTERNATIVELY.. use a bread machine on a dough+rise setting or an electric mixer with a dough hook. I used the bread machine.