Braided Bread
Sunday breakfast without this soft Braided Bread wouldn't be the same. It isn't just beautiful to look at but incredibly light and delicious. Serve it with butter and homemade jam, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and you are off to a good start!
Ingredients
- 500 g Whole wheat flour
- 30 g Granulated sugar
- 10 g Salt
- 7 g Instant dry yeast
- 350 ml Whole milk
- 50 g Butter (melted
- 1 Egg for egg wash
Instructions
- Add All-purpose flour, instant dry yeast, salt, and sugar to your kitchen aid mixer and mix for a few seconds. Don't worry if you don't have one of these fancy kneaders, use a big bowl instead.
- Melt the butter. Add milk and melted butter to the dry ingredients.
- Knead dry and wet ingredients together until you have a smooth, stretchy dough. If you use a kitchen aid mixer or similar, start on slow speed for a few minutes, then turn it up to a fast speed for the last few minutes. If you knead by hand, do so for about 15-20min. I know it's a workout, but to achieve a light and airy bread, you need to work that dough until it is nice and smooth.
- Form the dough into a ball. Place it in a big, lightly floured bowl and cover it with a wet kitchen towel, or a bowl cover, to keep it from drying out. Let it rest to rise for at least 1 ½ hours.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take risen dough carefully out of the bowl and onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it into two halves. If you want to make a smaller loaf, just cut it twice to get four equal pieces.
- Roll each dough piece into long strands. You need two strands of equal length to braid. Put one strand over the other (like a plus sign). Take the bottom left strand, fold it over the bottom right strand and cross them with each other. Then take the right top strand and fold it over the right bottom strand. You will have three long strands on the left side now. Take the very left strand from the left side and take it under the second left strand and over the third left strand. Next, take the very right strand and put it over the second to the right strand. Now you will have three strands on the left side again and can continue to braid as described above until you run out of strands.
- Preheat the oven to 392°F or 200°C.
- Crack one egg into a small bowl and whisk it slightly. Brush the whole bread with the egg wash. Ensure you get every part of the dough, or it will bake with an uneven color.
- Let the loaf rest for another 30min.
- After the second rest period, brush the bread with egg wash again.
- Bake for 25-35min (if you have one large loaf) or 15-25min (if you have two small loaves). Every oven bakes differently, so my times are an average estimate. Keep a close eye on your bread. It is done when it looks golden brown.
- Let it cool for 20 minutes before cutting into it.
Notes
Wrap leftovers with aluminum foil and let them sit at room temperature. Don’t put it in the fridge! The cold temperature in the refrigerator will make the bread age much quicker, and you will end up with a dry and hard loaf.
You can, however, freeze this Braided Bread very well. Just wrap it tightly with aluminum foil, and place it in a plastic bag to prevent freezer burn. It can stay frozen for about 1 to 2 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 349kcalCarbohydrates: 68gProtein: 14gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 681mgPotassium: 403mgFiber: 9gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 145IUCalcium: 107mgIron: 3mg
Nutrition Facts
Braided Bread
Amount per Serving
Calories
349
% Daily Value*
Fat
5
g
8
%
Saturated Fat
2
g
13
%
Trans Fat
0.003
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
1
g
Cholesterol
35
mg
12
%
Sodium
681
mg
30
%
Potassium
403
mg
12
%
Carbohydrates
68
g
23
%
Fiber
9
g
38
%
Sugar
8
g
9
%
Protein
14
g
28
%
Vitamin A
145
IU
3
%
Calcium
107
mg
11
%
Iron
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.