Egg Bread Knots

I was in the mood for making a different sort of bread, and had a large batch of eggs in the refrigerator about to go bad. I found an egg bread recipe, but it formed a large loaf. I decided to change it up a little bit and make these simple knots instead. They're a perfect size for a sandwich (about the size of a large hamburger bun), and they're fluffy inside with the added light taste of eggs.

I baked two batches at the same time, but the top batch browned a bit more than I had anticipated. It didn't burn, so the taste wasn't poor, but it just came out darker than my liking. If you prefer a browned top, stick to the top third of the oven - a lighter golden color is achieved by using the lower third.

Recipe:
4 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
2/3 cup warm water
6 egg yolks
4 eggs, divided
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in the warm water. Combine egg yolks plus three eggs (the remaining egg is for an egg wash) and whisk together lightly. Pour this into the dissolved yeast mixture and add the vegetable oil, sugar, salt, and 3 1/2 cups of flour. Using a stand mixer attached with a paddle attachment, begin kneading the dough on low speed, adding the remaining flour until the dough pulls cleanly away from the edges. Continue kneading for 8 minutes. Oil a large bowl and add the dough - allow to rise for 90 minutes, or until doubled in size. Punch the dough down, and cut into 16 equal pieces.

Lightly knead each individual piece to get rid of air pockets (they rise quickly) and roll into an 18-inch long tube shape.

Fold one end over the other, and form the knot by tucking one end underneath the formed circle, and the other on top.

Place 8 on each of two baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Maximize empty space - they'll double in size during proofing. Allow to proof for 45 minutes, and preheat the oven to 375ºF with a rack placed in the lower third. Whisk the last egg and brush the tops of each knot with the egg wash. Bake for 12 minutes, then place onto cooling rack to cool. Makes 16 knots.

Although these have a similar look to Hawaiian sweet bread, don't serve this as anything other than plain bread - I got a couple confused looks when I brought these into work. They're great for sandwiches, or serve with just a little homemade mayonnaise (trust me, delicious on this bread).