Oh boy, more bread! I have never made a plaited loaf before so I was ready for the challenge. And the excuse to just make more bread. This recipe is is Paul’s and I found myself wondering if braiding the bread was going to be a chocolate roulade situation or just the show overdramatizing how challenging this would be.

First I gathered the ingredients:

500g bread flour
7g yeast
10g salt
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
340ml water
1 egg (for egg wash)

So I combined everything but the egg and kneaded that until it was nice and smooth

There are a bunch of ways to tell if your dough is done kneading, but I’ve found the most reliable way is to just set a timer for 12 minutes and knead until it dings. It’s difficult to over knead by hand and by then you’ve probably developed enough gluten. The dough should be nice and smooth and if you take a piece off and stretch it, it should be able to get very thin.

Then I let it rise for an hour and it got nice and big

And now it was time for the dreaded plaiting. I weighed my dough got it all ready to plait…. and then I realized I divided it into 6 pieces instead of 8 and felt like an idiot. So I had to reweigh all my carefully weighed dough into EIGHT pieces

Then roll them into about foot long strings

Then follow Paul’s pattern. I got about halfway down before I finally figured out what was happening and started over. I never would have gotten this done in time on the show – but that’s why I’m not on the show! The pattern is this

Step 1: place 8 under 7 and over 1 Step 2: place 8 over 5 Step 3: place 2 under 3 and over 8 Step 4: place 1 over 4 Step 5: place 7 under 6 and over 1 Repeats step 2-5, until all the dough is braided.

Basically any time you place a strand over 1 or over 8 you’re kind of just stashing it away for now. These are the ones that make the middle braid. The 2 under 3 or the 7 under 6 are making the outer edges… It makes sense honest

So my beginning and end look a bit like a mess but it found it’s way in the center there.

So then you let it rise again. And brush on a lightly beaten egg. And bake for 25 mintues

I think I would have faired moderately ok in the rankings. the dough is well proved and kneaded and baked. The plait is a bit wonky though.

What was difficult:

• Figuring out the plaiting obviously. I kinda got it but I’m still not sure 100% how to start or end it nicely

What I learned:

• Plaiting bread is fun! Also this loaf is gigantic. Just a heads up.

Would I make it again:

• I mean maybe. I kind of want to master plaiting but what practical purpose in my life would that have? So I’m not sure the opportunity will present itself.