Eight Strand Plaited Loaf

Delicious homemade bread with an impressive eight strand plait

Course Side Dish

Cuisine British

Keyword Bread

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 25

Resting time 2

Total Time 2 55

Servings

Calories 212kcal

Author thebakingexplorer

Ingredients

500 g Strong White Bread Flour
300 ml Water
2 tbsp Olive oil
7 g sachet Fast action dried yeast
1 tsp Salt
1 Egg medium, beaten

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Put the strong white bread flour in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the salt and yeast on separate sides of the bowl (if you pour the salt directly on the yeast it can stop it from working). Then stir them together
If using a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and turn the stand mixer on a slow speed. Pour in the water and oil. Keep the mixer running until a dough forms, then leave the mixer to knead the dough for 8 minutes
If making the dough by hand, pour in the water and oil and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes
Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film or a tea towl, and leave to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size
Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface or onto a silicone mat. Briefly knead it to knock the air out, then divide it into eight equal pieces. You can weight them for accuracy if you like
Flatten each piece out into a sausage shape, then fold in half and use the palms of the hands to roll each piece into a long strand approximately 45cm/18" long
Lay all of the strands out and attach them at the top by pinching the dough together and tucking it under. Each strand will be numbered from left to right, from numbers one to eight. Each time you move a strand, it will be renumbered to it's new position. 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
Repeat steps 2-5, until all the dough is plaited
Chop off any strands that are too long and/or tuck the ends under to neaten it up. Put the plaited bread onto a lined baking tray, cover it loosely with lightly oiled cling film and leave it to rise again for 1 hour
Pre-heat your oven to 200C Fan/425F/Gas Mark 7
Glaze the bread with the egg using a silicone pastry brush. Or you can use a clean paint brush (that has never been used with any unedible substances)
Bake it for 25 minutes until it is golden and sounds hollow when you tap the bottom
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or you can freeze it

Nutrition