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    Eight Strand Plaited Loaf

    11/09/2016 by thebakingexplorer 16 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    I decided to try making an Eight Strand Plaited Loaf after watching bread week on The Great British Bake Off. It's a basic bread dough, but shaped in a complex way, with an very impressive result! This Eight Strand Plaited Loaf is a great way to mix up your bread baking repertoire and have your friends and family wondering how you did it!

    How to make an Eight Strand Plaited Loaf...

    To start, I put strong white bread flour in a bowl. I added salt and fast action dried yeast, making sure to keep them on separate sides of the bowl.

    Then I added olive oil and water and mixed it together to form a dough.

    I kneaded the dough for 10 minutes, then placed it into an oiled bowl and left it to rise for 1 hour.

    I knocked the dough back, then divided it out into eight pieces.

    I rolled each piece into a long strand approximately 40cm/16" long.

    Then I laid all of the strands out and attached them at the top. Then I followed the plaiting sequence:

    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 plaited
    It wasn't tricky to follow the plaiting sequence, the thing I found the most difficult was making the plait look neat. I chopped off any strands that were too long once the plaiting was done and tucked the end under to neaten it up as much as I could. Once I was finished I put it onto a lined baking tray, covered it loosely with cling film and left it to prove again for 1 hour.
    I glazed the bread with beaten egg using a silicone brush.
    It baked it on 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for 25 minutes until it was golden and sounded hollow when I tapped the bottom.
    Eight Strand Plaited Loaf
    I thought the Eight Strand Plaited Loaf looked really impressive, I loved the golden crispy crust and soft middle. I was very pleased with it for a first effort!
    Eight Strand Plaited Loaf
    The Eight Strand Plaited Loaf has a fantastic appearance and it was fun to make a plaited loaf and try the technique out. I enjoyed slices with butter and my boyfriend relished it dipping chunks of it in some soup.

    Recommended equipment & ingredients*

    Baking trays Mixing bowls Cooling rack
    Kitchen scales Fast action yeast Metal dough scraper

    *I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

    Eight Strand Plaited Loaf

    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: Bread
    Prep Time: 40 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    Servings: 10

    Ingredients

    • 500 g Strong White Bread Flour
    • 340 ml Water
    • 1 ½ tbsp Olive oil
    • 7 g sachet Fast action dried yeast
    • 10 g Salt
    • 1 Egg

    Instructions

    • Put the strong white bread flour in a bowl. Add the salt and yeast on separate sides of the bowl. Mix together
    • Add 1 ½ tbsp olive oil and 340ml water and mix in
    • Knead the dough for 10 minutes, then place it into an oiled bowl and leave to rise for 1 hour
    • Knock it back then divide it into eight equal pieces
    • Roll each piece into a long strand approximately 40cm/16" long
    • Lay all of the strands out and attach them at the top. Then follow the plaiting sequence:
      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 plaited
    • Chop off any strands that are too long and tuck the end under to neaten it up. Put it onto a lined baking tray, cover it loosely with cling film and leave it to prove again for 1 hour
    • Glaze the bread with 1 beaten egg
    • Bake it on 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for 25 minutes until it is golden and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom
    Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!

    Recipe from Paul Hollywood.

    If you like this, check out more of my Bread recipes!

    Previous Post: « Blackcurrant & Mascarpone Viennese Whirls
    Next Post: Churros with Chocolate Dip: GBBO Week #4 »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenny

      September 11, 2016 at 8:09 pm

      Your loaf looks so shiny and beautiful - the plait is so well made too. I bet it smelt and tasted amazing!
      ps. i also laughed at the wearing loafers gag!
      Thank you for linking up xx

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 19, 2016 at 10:58 pm

        Thanks Jenny! You just can't help but giggle at Mel and Sue 🙂

        Reply
    2. Johanna GGG

      September 12, 2016 at 12:52 pm

      Very impressive - it is great that shows like this get such amazing baking done in our homes - makes me want to experiment more with bread baking - off I go to try and motivate myself 🙂

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 19, 2016 at 10:59 pm

        I agree, if it wasn't for Bake Off I wouldn't have experimented half as much as I have with my baking, it really does motivate me

        Reply
    3. Lucy Allen

      September 12, 2016 at 8:48 pm

      What a gorgeous loaf Kat, the plaiting is wonderful! Also impressed that that was made with 500 g flour, mine was too and it was difficult to get all the strands long enough even when I weighed them!

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 19, 2016 at 11:00 pm

        Thank you! I wasn't that confident about my plaiting so that'd great to hear. Yes the strands were tricky, some of mine ended up longer and shorter as I plaited.

        Reply
    4. Anca

      September 15, 2016 at 3:02 pm

      Looks really good, the plaiting is stunning. Well done.

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 19, 2016 at 11:00 pm

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
    5. Kate Glutenfreealchemist

      September 15, 2016 at 7:02 pm

      Well impressed! I wouldn't have a clue how to make an eight=strand plait..... And the texture of the loaf looks perfect! Well done xx

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 19, 2016 at 11:01 pm

        I didn't either, luckily I had Paul's instructions! Thank you, bread always makes me nervous!

        Reply
    6. Amanda

      September 15, 2016 at 10:08 pm

      I think it looks gorgeous! x

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 19, 2016 at 11:01 pm

        Thank you 🙂

        Reply
    7. Natalie Gardner

      September 17, 2016 at 9:07 pm

      This is so impressive and the plaiting looks perfect. There is nothing quite as beautiful as the aroma of the freshly baked bread.

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 19, 2016 at 11:02 pm

        You are so kind, thank you!

        Reply
    8. Angela Campos

      September 18, 2016 at 5:29 pm

      This looks amazing! I love how you posted each step with pictures. I think I may give this a try 🙂

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        September 19, 2016 at 11:03 pm

        Thank you! I always find it helpful to show the stages, they do say a picture says a thousand words!

        Reply

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